Guardian Venia
by LookAboveYou
Summary: Jack Frost has really done it this time. After an accident in a meadow, someone is dead, and Jack is thrown into a pit of guilt. But the Man in the moon has his reasons. And sometimes venia, (the Latin word for "forgiveness"), is a hard thing to come by. Rated T for dark scenes, mild language, action, romance, pretty much anything under the genre 'adventure'. CHAPTER 7 is up!
1. Chapter 1: You Don't Have Allergies

*~*Chapter 1:

Jack leaned his forehead up against the wall. Opening his eyes, he watch as a tear fell from his face and hit the floor at his bare feet.

"Whoa man... You okay?"

Jack turned around to face Jamie, blinking fast. "Yeah. Yeah.. Why would you ask?"

Jamie stood before him, concern tracing his brown eyes. A sarcastic eyebrow raised. "Something in your eye?"

Vigorously, Jack nodded, sniffing to prevent his nose from running. "Allergies.. Ya know?" He raised a hand, hoping that his friend would leave it at that, however slim a chance he had in it. Jamie was thoughtful and observant. Jack rarely found anything that he could get past him.

"You don't have allergies."

Jack smiled, looking down. That was a lame excuse.

"Something's troubling you?"

It sounded more like a fact than a question. But Jack just shrugged and walked away from the wall. "Jamie, I'm fine, it's all good. Just kinda had a bad day is all." He didn't make it very far before his heavy heart caused him to almost fall onto the bean bag on the floor.

"You're lying." Jamie's tone was firm.

Running a hand through his white locks, he rested his head on the palm of his hand, elbow propped on his knee. Giving a weak chuckle, he admired his friend's care. "Jamie, now why would I lie to you-"

"You always do."

Jack blinked, taken back. He always tried his best to protect Jamie and be there for him. Yes, there was always the occasional time when he showed up late, forgot something, or became too swamped with coating a city with snow to make it to that basketball game. But lying? No.. He didn't remember ever doing that before. "What're you talking about?"

Jamie huffed and gestured with his hands out to the world, as if it were the most known thing in history. "You always, ALWAYS say you're fine, when you're really not!" He crossed his arms and deepened his voice, mimicking his version of Jack. "'I'm fine! I'm fine! What could be wrong? I'm fine'. I'm not stupid, Jack! I can tell when a person is upset."

Jack frowned. Oh. That kind of lie. "Jamie, that's not a real lie.."

"Well, what is it then?"

He squinted one eye, irritation lightly coating his voice. "It's a diversion away from something I don't want to talk about. Besides I told you that I had a bad day. I'm not being dishonest."

"But you're not telling me what's wrong either." Jamie bit his lip in thought. After a moment, he pulled up his other bean bag next to Jack and plopped down on it. "Talk, Bro. You know I'm as much as a jackass as you."

Jack's found his eyes looking away from Jamie, but he chuckled. "Since when did you care so much?" He teased.

"Um, since like... FOREVER. Dude, I'm sick of you cutting corners and beating the bush. Talk to me! You know I want to help."

Jack gave an exhausted sigh. He couldn't tell Jamie. Jamie would hate him for the rest of his days. And if not that, then he would avoid him at the very least. Jack would become a danger in the young boy's eyes. A danger not wanting to be tampered with. Ice blue met chocolate brown as he contemplated the value their friendship was to him. He would kill to protect Jamie.

Kill...

Jack gritted his teeth at the word, his feelings being hypersensitive. He stood up and rubbed his neck, looking down at Jamie, whose eyes were pleading for his friend to talk. Jack suddenly felt all those 300 plus years that he had lived. How innocent the young man on the bean bag looked, so sincere, so alive. Jack consciously pulled a sleeve down over more of his frozen corpse skin. Jamie was his first believer, his first best friend in this life. He couldn't bear to have the younger man's heart crushed, his mind corrupted to think that his frosty friend was no longer innocent. That would open the gates to many thoughts and possibilities paranoia thrusts into a person's mind. Swallowing some thick spit, he shook his head slowly. He wouldn't do that to Jamie. He couldn't give up their friendship like that. He wouldn't.

"Jamie, we all have things we just don't tell anyone. And this is one of those things. I swear, I'm not keeping anything that you don't need to know. I just..." He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to stop any more tears. "I just don't want you hurt. This is my burden to bear alone."

Jamie's eyes softened, and he stood up next to his friend. Even at age 15, he matched Jack's height. Tall genes, his mother had said. "Jack... You couldn't hurt me." He smiled crookedly, a light chuckle sealing his words. "I'm your best pal! I'm supposed to know this stuff."

Jack's heart throbbed in his chest. The disappointment he would now be to everyone he knew hammered somewhere in the back of his head. A hint of imbalance coming from his stomach made him shakily inhale. "Yes, Jamie... I can."

Finally, Jamie took a step back. His eyes moved back and forth at Jack's, searching. Jack found he couldn't look at him and instead stared at his blotchy feet. "Wha-... What're you talking about?... You're not making-"

But Jack turned and walked away, putting his hand at the level as his face as if to shield himself from Jamie's persistent care. He knew that he would eventually crack him if he just stood protect him, he would have to leave now. Grabbing his staff, he stepped up onto the window sill.

"Ja-JACK! Don't you dare leave!" Jamie ran to the window and grabbed the back of the blue sweatshirt. "You still haven't told me anything! Look, I promise I won't laugh if it's embarrassing. And if it's something very serious, well then I'll listen to it."

Jack paused. Why did Jamie have to be so dang stubborn. Reaching his free hand back and gently freeing himself from Jamie's grip, he just looked at his friend with downcast eyes. "Jamie... I'm a Guardian. I'm supposed to protect the children of the world.." The words that once lifted his joy to the peak now tasted sour in his mouth. "And although I don't always succeed.." His voice cracked, and he shut his eyes against it. At one point Jamie's hand lightly touch his arm in concern. "... I still have to keep trying. As I'm doing right now."

He gently took Jamie's hand off his arm, watching his hand closely, and stepped out of the window.

"JACK!"

The winter spirit turned his thoughts to snow and ice, a stream flowing from his staff as he worked his way from Jamie.

"Uuuurrrr!" Jamie stamped his foot and called out, "Stubborn butthead!"

He reached his dresser in two strides. Yanking open the top drawer, he fumbled around in his pajamas. His heart flooded with relief when he found it: the snow globe that Jack had given him a couple years ago.

"For emergencies," Jack had said with an encouraging smile.

Jamie now held the globe in his hand, the snow gently swirling in the liquid. He whispered a word, and a portal opened instantly. With a smirk of triumph, he grabbed a jacket and hopped through.

***~*~*~*~*~*G*~*~*~*~*~*~**

**So, hey! Me again. This one's a doozy. Oh the things I do to my poor favorite characters... But I think we're all in the same boat on that one. xD Hope you enjoy it! **

**I can't tell you how much authors love feedback... Hint! Hint! ;P **


	2. Chapter 2: Those Are For The Eggs!

*~* Chapter 2

With a nod of satisfaction, Jack looked over the town of Burgess. Beautiful in a fresh blanket of snow, as it always had looked. How different things were now, than they were at the time of his drowning. He had watched the town grow bigger and modern as the years went by. But the people somehow always managed to stay the same. With a whisper to the wind, he took to the skies.

The wind carried him to a different town. It was a one stoplight kind of community, the red signal being something Jack much enjoyed toying with. Floating right over the city, he went on to a patch of woods. They were no different than any other woods he had seen, but he had to come back here.

Upon seeing the town graveyard, he landed silently before scanning the stones with grim curiosity. The stillness of the air about him in this snowy landscape made him shiver. Graveyards had always given him the feeling that someone was watching him. He pondered if it was Death himself surveying the living that he would one day hold in his clutches. Or perhaps it was the stepping on the edge of the line between life and death. The living treading on territory that was opposing to them. Whatever it was, it made him look quickly through the tombstones, holding his breath when he didn't find what he was looking for. The whole scenario from yesterday must have been left out in the woods. His eyes rose to take in the thick spread of pine trees he had fled from the day before. This meant that all that had happened had gone unnoticed and untouched.

He didn't want to even bother calling for the wind again. His voice was too weak to whisper, his shoulders sagging as he walked into the woods. The trees passed by the boy's vision one by one, just like the many years he had passed through. Aside from all the supernatural events, the Jackson Overland in the pioneer days would never have dreamed that he would be the Jack he was today. All the loneliness and horror, the triumphs and guilts would never be even imagined by the boy with the brown hair, that the boy with white hair had experienced. Sure, he still had his fun-loving side and he was still the same guy... But some things he had seen.. Some things he had done, just couldn't be forgotten.

"Or forgiven," he muttered bitterly under his breath.

He eventually came to a clearing, which looked oddly placed, considering it was randomly in the middle of a forest. No doubt this meadow was luscious and green in the springtime for it was not far from a water source. That being the lake, which babbled quietly to his right a ways. Unwillingly, his feet took him right to it.

"Why must it always be water?" he asked himself, self-loathing thick in his voice.

There was the lake, vast and dark. He could just see the other side's shore as a line of white, with evergreens sprouted from the snow lining it. It's short choppy waves rippled in the low breeze that seems to be over any body of water. He made it to the edge, slipping once from losing his balance. As much as it tore at his heart, he forced himself to look at it, seeing the deep blue eerily slopping against the snowy shore. It was something that looked so dead but was so alive. Robotically scanning all around, he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. However, the motion grated against his nerves, and with one swift movement, he tapped his staff on what was now ice spreading over the lake.

Then with tear filled eyes, he trekked his way back to the meadow clearing and halted. Balling his fist, he pressed it against his forehead, making desperate whimpers against crying. There was so much pain in his heart.. So much hurt.. But it was his fault. And he should get everything that he deserved..

Nearly sobbing, he slowly searched around in the snow. This was where he had dragged the body before losing his senses completely and flying away as far as he could from it. At first he was timid, afraid of finding the scene again. But if no one else had, it was his decent duty to take care of it himself. And as he continued to look and found nothing, continually nothing, all the grief suddenly bore down on him.

He let loose an agonized yell, and began frantically digging in the snow. He chucked his staff to the side and dug with his hands, wiping the snow from side to side, turning over logs, and shooting sticks into the wood. His lungs burned as his screams rubbed them raw, and his throat felt as if it were going to dislodge itself. At one point, he tripped face first into the white powder, only to slip and slide all over from blindly trying to get up again in his white haze of emotion. His anger had caused a strong wind to pick up, the snow now coming down as sleet and ice. The wind blew through him, tousling his hair and whipping his face, comforting and chiding him for his sorrowful outbursts. But Jack shielded his face from the wind and kept going.

What a mess. He scolded and cursed himself with every slosh of snow. Breathing heavily, his vision became cloudy as his head felt woozy. He only stopped when the urge from his stomach was too powerful, sending him to his hands and knees. His eyes widened in a delirious panic as he heaved until he could no longer sit upright. Instead, he fell to his side and curled up in the smallest way he could, coughing and sobbing. Instantly, the blizzard stopped, replaced by the slow falling of wet snow.

The picture of his sister on the ice, smiling and carefree flashed through his mind. The face of the frozen body from yesterday replaced his sister's face as she daintily took her first tries at ice skating, only to land on her rear and giggle.

"Stop!" Jack cried, clawing at his head and writhing on the ground.

"Jack!" She called out to him. "Jack, I'm scared!"

"I know! I know.." he wept in anguish, smashing his ears with his hands. "S-stop! Please, just stop.."

The memory of him pulling the soaking wet young woman from the lake yesterday hit him in the face. Her lips were so blue...

"No, no no no, STOP!"

He lifted his shaky hands from his eyes. A gnawing pain ate at them, the reason he saw being the cuts and bruises that now lightly bled from his blotchy skin. Those hands... with them he had saved his sister years ago. But now he had taken the life of another.

He moaned again as he rolled over, a pressure behind his eyes increasing. He gripped at the snow for something to clutch, but the snow just squished in between his fingers. He gasped for breath, his lungs quitting on him due to exhaustion.

"It was an accident!" he roared between clenched teeth, although knowing that wasn't a good enough excuse. There was no good excuse really.

His legs kicked and he grabbed at his heart. Anything, he needed anything to get this overwhelming swell in his chest to stop. It was suffocating him.

Another family had to deal with loss because of him. Tears streamed down his face as his sobs became slower and deeper. "Why do I have to be so useless?!" his sore throat croaked, when his sobs finally broke into choppier trails.

The sun had almost gone completely down, and he felt the beams of the moon touching his face with its featherlite fingers. A fresh cold breeze swept through the meadow, kicking up bits of the disheveled snow powder and tossing it into the air, some of it pecking Jack's outstretched frame. His body now spent, he simply laid there and finished off his sobs.

"Jaaack?" he heard the distant voice of his sister. Part of him wanted to get up and look around to find the source of it. But then he realized it was all in his head. Contemplating if this was really such a good idea after all, he ventured to look up at the moon that now stared right at him from the sky.

He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came. The Guardian of Fun had lost his energy for a moment, and hoped that the Man in the moon would understand his condition. It seemed like it might be rude not to address the old, luminous light, but he literally couldn't. So, he gazed up at it, soaking in its lovely round shape and stark contrasts in color from the night sky. As the gentle breeze wrapped around his body, he closed his eyes in comfort, relishing the silky effect it had on his pale skin. He gave a shaky sigh and then looked to his left for his staff.

It was 't there. He looked to his right, and it wasn't there. So, with a heave, he slowly sat up onto his rear. After taking a break for a few minutes to catch his breath, he wearily stood up, painfully dusting the snow from his clothes.

His staff lay a few yards away. Picking it up, he stuffed his other hand into his pocket and ducked his head, heading out of the forest. He had enough of that place. His ever bare feet made no noise as he walked.

*~*~*~*~*G*~*~*~*~*

Bunnymund cupped his chin with his paw in thought. Jamie had shown up in the Warren, just out of the blue, frantically waving his arms about Jack. A tad bit reluctant to put the next Easter operations on hold, he stopped and led the kid into the meadow of eggs while he listened.

"So, ya say that he juss up an left. Juss like that?" he asked, repeating what Jamie had said to solidify it in his brain.

Jamie nodded, picking up a wandering egg and placing him closer to the short herd.

With a thoughtful hum, Bunnymund reviewed Jack's behavior. "That isn't all that uncommon, Kid. The blighter always keeps himself to himself. "

Jamie huffed, exasperated. " I was hoping you would help me. You see him more than I do."

"Not necessarily, kid, I'm just as busy with Easter as he is with his snow days." Bunnymund paused from rounding up the eggs. There was something about that sentence that didn't fit. Jack Frost, busy? "Well... Not that school days keep him busy all the time. But ya get what I'm sayin'." Jamie chuckled.

A foreign draft wafted its way through the green meadows, passing right through the two egg wranglers. They both realized it simultaneously as they eagerly searched for its source. "Jack?"

The winter spirit appeared on the edge of the horizon, bobbing up and down, up and down. He would pause, stuff something in his pocket, and then he would repeat. "What's he doing?" Jamie asked.

Bunnymund squinted a moment when it dawned on him. "Oi!" He called out. "Stop eating the chocolates! Those are for the eggs' dinner!" He took off after Frost.

Jack, realizing he was caught, stood up straight and stuffed both hands into his pocket with wide eyes. Jamie snickered when they reached him. "Caught redhanded, huh, Jack?"

Jack's head tilted as his mind formed a question of his own. "What di-How did you get here?"

"Snow globe," Jamie smirked, taking the ball from his pocket and lightly bouncing it in his hand.

Jack's brow hinted a bit of frustration. Now Jamie was out away from his home, his safe home. Not that Pitch was out prowling around at the moment to antagonize the 15 year old, but Jack for some reason didn't like the feeling he got from Jamie standing there in the Warren. "Jamie, I gave you that for strictly emergencies. Like if you get hurt, or trapped, or something. "

"This is an emergency." The brown eyes were again firm.

Jack eyes rolled to Bunnymund, who had a curious expression on his fluffy face. He looked like he knew what Jamie was referring to, the little discussion they had earlier. But the worry in his eyes said that he didn't quite know what was going on. The hare was in on it all, nonetheless.

"You know, Jamie, if you counted everytime I left a scene as an emergency, you'd have to hire an entire EMT squad to chase after me all the time," Jack smiled crookedly.

"Eh, that's what I said, Mate," Bunnymund said, turning to Jamie. But the boy would have none of it.

"I got a feeling in my gut, and it bothers me that something's wrong with you!" Jack leaned back as a finger poked into his personal space. " You aren't acting yourself, Jack. So tell me. Tell me now!" Man, his friend was really riled up about knowing.

Jack laughed weakly, backing out of Jamie's pointed finger stare. "Not acting myself? Why, sure I am!" He pulled out his hands to reveal them full of wrappers of the chocolate candies.

Bunnymund gasped. "Frost! You butthead, I have those for the eggs!" He reached out and swiped the wrappers from the boy's hands.

"You should be happy. I very much enjoyed them, and that's a compliment, dude. You've got plenty here to go around." Jack laughed to himself. Little did Bunnymund know that he just foiled a plan for his own prank. A tad disappointed that he wouldn't be showering empty candy wrappers around the Warren, Jack shrugged. Ah well, he'd try again later. Glancing at Jamie, he was relieved to see that look of consternation gone from his face. At least he was still good at distractions.

"So," he picked up his stick. "What to do? Now that you're out of the house and in the neighborhood..."

"Jack, you're creating a diversion, I know it," Jamie said, still insistent on accomplishing what he came for.

"You all could high-tail it to the river and make sure the eggs are throwin' themselves in," Bunnymund suggested. Jack gave him a look of gratitude.

Jamie grumbled something under his breath. Jack could tell he was frustrated, but unfortunately, it would have to stay that way. It would wear off eventually.

"What a great idea!" Jack leapt into the air. "Come on!" And he took off before Jamie could protest.

Bunnymund's river always fascinated Jack. How he got the swirling colors just right, he would never know. And with each egg that emotionlessly threw himself off the cliff of the shore and into the waters, Jack and Jamie heehawed and beat the ground with their fists.

"They're so stupid!" Jack managed between laughter. "They're like, 'Hey! Lets go throw ourselves off a cliff! That sounds like fun!'"

Jamie laughed. "I'm pretty sure they know what they're doing."

"Suuure.. So did you when you about cut off your arm while mowing the grass"

Jamie punched his shoulder. "Hey! How was I supposed to know the blade was lose?"

"You just gotta know these things, Jamie," Jack's eyes rolled with sarcasm. "You're expected to know everything, you know." He stood up next to Jamie, both of them hanging on the edge of the shore.

"No, I didn't know that."

Jack laughed. "You will." With a quick call, he successfully tipped the boy into the colorful water. Jamie surfaced, gasping and bewildered, paddling the water. "Did you know I was going to do that?!"

"No, but Frost, I'm going to GET YOU!"

"Yeah sure. Hey, I wonder if you could find any fruity pebbles down there." Jack lifted into the air above. "A river like this HAS to have fruity pebbles at the bottom."

"I don't know, why don't you LOOK YOURSELF!" Jack felt a wet hand grab his ankle and drag him down into the color.

He sputtered and coughed, whipping his hair out of his eyes to meet his loyal friend's high pitched laughter. Confused, Jack grabbed a lock of hair and pulled it down, anxious to see what Jamie was laughing so hard at. The hair that was once white, was now purple. "Oh man.. You know that you just subjected yourself to a whole string of pranks."

He watched Jamie shrug. "Heck, they come anyway, regardless of whatever I do."'

"Well phooey, you better not have ruined my sweatshirt," Jack bobbed out of the water to check his hoodie, only to find it dripping, as purple as his hair. "Dang. It was my favorite."

"Not to mention you're only. Don't worry, I'm sure it'll come out. When's the last time you flippin' washed it?"

Jack smirked. "Me? Doing laundry? Seriously, Jamie?"

"Well then good, I did you a favor."

Jack just stared at him a long moment, trying to look menacing. But the playful glint in his eye gave him away as usual. "You don't scare me," Jamie graced him.

A sliver of what he was trying to forget started inking into his thoughts. He never wanted Jamie to be afraid of him. Before it could fully come back, he dove into the water and grabbed Jamie's legs, pulling him under. He resurfaced and laughed, poking Jamie's head when he also came up again.

"Hilarious, Frosty," he sputtered.

Jack faked hurt. "Oh Jamie! I can't believe you!"

"Well, you better, because you deserve THIS!" and Jamie hoisted himself out of the water, toppling right on top of Jack's head. He didn't quite mean to make such a hard impact, but surely He was okay. Jack could swim very well.

But he was pushed far under, the bubbles tickling his neck as they raced for the surface. He held still, letting the sinking slow, before trying to decided which way was up and which was down. Kicking his feet, he propelled himself forward, groping upward with outstretched arms for the surface. But after a few seconds, he realized that he should have reached the surface by now. Squinting his eyes open, he tried with no avail to to see through the mirky purple water, only to shut them tightly against the pain of the paint. Panic seeped into his mind as he knew that Jamie couldn't look down to see him either. The dang water was too thick to see anything.

Growing frantic for air, he swam around in every direction, groping and clawing the water. This reminded him too much of his death, and too much of the death that occurred yesterday. He wondered if the young woman had felt the same scared feelings that came with drowning... the hopelessness, the choked will to live... as those same familiar feelings of helplessness seeped into his hide, making him lose all sense of reason. And as that mixed with the guilt in his heart, he stopped struggling altogether. It dawned on him... Maybe this was right. Being no longer a Guardian, what use had he in the world anymore?

But the sudden grip on his hoodie pulling him up gave him no choice in the matter. He yelped as he was ripped out of the water and flapped against the ground on his back. There had to be a less painful way to rescuing.

"WHAT were you doing?! Were you TRYING to scare us?! NO MORE tricks, Frost! This is crossing the line!"

It took Jack a moment to realize Bunnymund was screaming in his face.

"Bunny, look at him! Is he even breathing?!" He could hear Jamie's distant voice say.

"Oh no.. Frost. Jack come back! Wake up!"

He screamed and shot straight upright when a sudden blow to his chest brought his vision back. "Oh! Aaah! Ooow!" he panted, wrapping his arms around his chest.

"Sorry to do it to ya, Kid, but we thought you were a goner!"

"Jack, Jack? Are you okay?"

Jack's eyes opened slowly to meet Jamie's, gritting his teeth against the pain that shot through his thin frame when he breathed. What had just happened came back yo his recollection, and he stood up, wobbling to the point of almost falling over.

"Jack, sit down," Bunnymund ordered. The Guardian was rigid, his fur dripping with purple.

"I'm fine!" he heard his voice say. As if an enemy to his own self, his heart screamed that he wasn't okay. But he ignored it and kept walking.

Jamie grabbed his shoulders from behind and spun him around. "Jack! Stop! You're NOT, definitely NOT fine! And you can't fool me this time! Stop being a jackass and knock it off! We want to HELP you!"

Jack barely shrugged Jamie off, realizing how weak he was. "No, I don't need help. I'm just tired. Let me be."

"NO! I won't!" his angered but concerned friend barked into his face.

Jack's eyes suddenly narrowed. They just weren't going to let up on him. And with a whisper, the wind quickly picked its pace and he shot up before they could catch him.

"FROST!"

*~*~*~*~*~*G*~*~*~*~*~

What had he just done, he asked himself.

"Protected a child," he replied.

"But you're no longer a Guardian," his voice said again.

It took a moment for him to respond. "But I'm still Jamie's friend."

The sounds of the cave were nonexistent, save for the wheezing in his lungs. Leaning his head back against the wall of ice, he sighed. It had been another long day, same as yesterday. He honestly didn't know how much longer he could take this.

The picture of the girl he murdered settled into his thinking. She had the greenest eyes and the blackest hair. Her frame was beautifully built, and if the circumstances were different, Jack's heart would have skipped a beat at the sight of her. But it wasn't different. And as those green eyes closed, her lips became a darker blue...

Tears traced his frozen cheekbones as he silently wept into his hands, his crying softly echoing through the cave.

***~*~*~*~G*~*~*~*~***

**Lots of emotion going on there.. Lets just say my heart insides feel exhausted... hmm...**

**Let me know how you guys like it. :)**


	3. Chapter 3: I'm Fine

*~*Chapter 3

"I'm sick and tired of it!"

Jack closed his eyes, stung from Jamie's words. Leaning his neck back, he head rested on the top of the couch cushion. "Jamie.."

"No, shut up! How would you like it if I kept taking off all drenched in tears everytime YOU kept trying to ask me what was wrong?!"

From his gigantic chair, North's eyes widened at the harshness in Jamie's language. Bunnymund pinched his nose and shook his head.

Jack just kept silent. They four sat around North's fireplace, Jack on the couch farthest from the fire. They all seemed bent on knowing what was wrong with him. After over three centuries of being ignored, he was expected to blurt everything he was feeling to everyone he cared about? Nuh uh. That might be good for other suckers, but not him.

Looking up to the window he flew in by, he contemplated flying off again. But now that more of the Guardians were involved, North being one of them, running away and hiding would only complicate the problem. After all, he knew he had to come around again sometime; and after another running away fiasco, by the looks of their faces, suddenly reappearing again in the future probably wouldn't be received as merciful. Kicking his feet up on the length of the couch, he sighed. He would just have to reassure them that he was fine, and then they'd all move on. Jamie was stubborn, but he would be convinced eventually. He rubbed his temples as he decided he needed to be more careful with his emotions. These days he was around people who cared about him.

"Head hurt?" North asked.

"Nah..." then he thought better of it. "A little.. Staying up all night in a cave wasn't the smartest idea in the world." Crap.

"You were in a cave all night?" Bunnymund observed in a voice softer than Jack was used to.

"Uuuhg, guys it's okay. Trust me, I've slept in many caves. It's nothing new." He decided to try to switch tracks. "Anyway, I'm here now, safe and sound, and everything's good."

North's face was scrunched in thought. "Vy are you so upset then, Jack?"

He played with the tassels from the blanket that draped over the couch. "I just had a rough day yesterday is all. Don't you all ever get down in the dumps?" He looked up to each of them.

Their demeanor melted to one of shame. Bunnymund looked to North, who hid his face. Jack had never really mentioned much about his past, but they got the jest that it wasn't fun to talk about it. The winter spirit usually only showed troubled signs when obvious things about his past triggered it. Jamie, knowing as much-or little rather- of Jack's past as the other two did, joined them in their slight embarrassment.

Bunnymund was first to speak."We're sorry, Buckaroo. We just wanted to let ya know that we're here for ya."

"Yeah, vwe're sorry if vwe threw de salts in vwounds," North softly grumbled.

Jamie didn't say anything. He simply looked away, biting his lip.

Jack blinked slowly. That went easier than he thought it would be. He chocked it up to them probably getting tired of chasing him in circles. "Oh. Well.. Okay. You guys are fine, I swear."

Jamie sharply turned his head to the side. Jack knew he was biting back saying something. "Jamie..?"

He watched his friend's jaw muscles twitch as he slowly looked at him. The instant Jamie saw his eyes, the child snapped. He ran to him and grabbed his torso, burying his face in Jack's chest. Jack was stunned from the sudden affection, but overcame it and wrapped his gangly arms around the younger teen. In many ways, Jamie was still the little 10 year old that jumped on the bed with robots and missing teeth. Granted, they both still jumped on the bed, but only after drinking tons of energy drinks. Gently sitting him up, he held him at arm's length, hand on his shoulder. "Listen..You're like a brother to me. You know that I would kill myself before I would let anything hurt you, right?"

Jamie wrinkled his nose as he sniffed. "Yeah.."

"And you know that I trust you, like any good friend does. And because I know you trust me, I don't want to break that trust either.. Right?"

He sighed. "Right."

"Right. Good... So Jamie, like I said before. We all have things that we just don't share with everyone-"

"But I'm not just 'everyone', Jack."

"I know." Jack faltered a bit, his heart beginning to throb again at Jamie's forlorn expression. "I know.. You're still my little guardian, right?" A halfhearted smile rose to his lips.

Jamie couldn't help but smile himself. "Yeah.. Since day one." He scratched his neck. "I've never stopped being that."

His words hit Jack like a brick wall. He took a firm grip on the reins of his emotions and yanked back, with all his strength. His eyes lowered.

"So, what am I supposed to do now, Jack? If you won't let us help you, then what are we supposed to do?"

Jack looked up to the Guardians at present, Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. They sat in their own seats watching, ready to be there for anything that was needed. It occurred to Jack that they were giving up precious amounts of time at this moment to sit with him. "Just..." He paused to chose his words carefully. "Just be there. If I need anything, I'll know where to go to." He offered them a weak smile.

Letting his words soak in, they breathed a sigh. The tension in the room lightened as Jamie and Bunnymund stood up.

"Well... I should be getting back," Jamie said reluctantly.

North stood, giving the kid a pat on the back. "You're vwelcome anytime!"

"Jack?"

Jack stood from his seat, ready for anything that Jamie wanted him to do. He was met again with a hug. "Sorry for fighting the whole visit."

Jack shrugged, ruffling the brown hair. "Aw heck, it wasn't the whole time. Remember the eggs and the water fight?"

Finally, a bright smile grew on Jamie's face. "And I'll never forget it!"

"I know what you're thinking, but don't worry. I'll be around again soon. I promise." Jack smiled, winking.

"Good," Jamie confirmed, taking his place by Bunnymund. "School is gonna start up soon again, and we will need some snow days to top off the spring semester."

Jack bowed. "At your service, Sir."

Jamie laughed and saluted him. Bunnymund gave them a nod and tapped the ground. "See ya around, Frost. North."

Jack slowly waved as the ground opened up to a hole, Bunnymund and Jamie slipping down it from sight. The hole closed up and they were officially gone. Huffing what sounded almost like a moan, Jack went back to the couch and fell onto it. North watched him carefully. "You comfortable, no?"

Jack gave a hum in agreement, closing his eyes for the first time in two and a half days. Normally he wasn't so tired, but the recent events had taken its toll on him. He could feel North's eyes on him as the burly man started towards the next room.

"If you need anything, please, let elves know. They get you anything."

Jack hummed again, his mind slipping off into unconsciousness.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*G*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The voices wound their way into his conscious, stirring his mind awake despite his attempts to block it out. Dang yetis. Couldn't they see he was lying there asleep? Grabbing a pillow from the foot of the couch, he slammed it on his head, grumbling. Being awake made the familiar weight of guilt flood his mind. He just wanted to sleep. To rest and... Not think of... Anything... Just to sleep...

Was that a girl's voice?

Jack shot up, blinking the sleep from out of his eyes. He strained his hearing to listen to who was talking. They were by the front door he could tell, the voices floating from that direction into the room. He heard footsteps as they came closer.

"Yes, is very good you come here!" he heard North booming.

"Well, I wasn't quite sure though. But having run into Bunnymund, he told me you were the one to go to."

Jack allowed his muscles to relax as he lay his head back down on the couch pillow. It was probably just Tooth. Taking the other pillow and covering his ear again, he twisted onto his stomach into a more comfortable position.

"Oh yes, I've always believed in Jack Frost since I was little."

He shot up again at the sound of his name. Blinking, he immediately saw the source of the voice. North had led a girl into the room. A young woman kind of girl..

Her blonde hair flowed down her back. Auburn highlights streaked from the top of her head and descended, eventually disappearing. Her skin was as pale as Jack's, but her face held an eminent beauty. He felt his eyes began to travel her body, but then caught himself. The girl didn't seem to notice. She covered her hand up and giggled, making a confused smile pick up a corner of Jack's mouth.

But North's amused expression caught the corner of his eye, and he noticed that the girl was laughing at something. Looking up as far as his eyes could, he noticed a few strands of the longer parts of his hair sticking straight out. His smile was lost as he realized how messy his hair must be. He brought a hand up and gave an annoyed grumble, pressing it down as hard as he could over and over. But each time he felt his hair bounce back to the same position. Huffing, he rolled his eyes and planted his face back into his pillow.

"He's been sleeping since dis smorning," he heard North whisper very loudly. Oh nice, North. Give her the impression that he was a bum.

"I envy him. I could do a little sleeping too myself about now." Her voice was soft and calming. Jack quietly sighed from within his pillow.

"Vwell, my dear, we must make accommodations. PHIL!" Jack winced at North's sudden yell. "Get DOWN here! Meanwhile, why don't you go sit here by the fire, hm?"

The Russian lead her into the room. Jack could no longer hide from her since she sat on North's chair, directly across from him. He figured that having his face smashed in the pillow was probably rude and sat up. North took the blanket that hung from the back of the chair and whipped it out, guiding it down to rest on the girl. Burying her face under the blanket, he heard her exhale loudly a couple of times in an attempt to get warmth under the blanket faster.

"Vwould you like cookie? We have mountains of them!" North offered her.

"That's sounds lovely. If I could get that with a glass of milk?"

"Anything! I'll be back!" North stomped by Jack, winking at him. Jack stared after the man, mouth slightly ajar. When he was gone, he turned awkwardly to the girl.

Closing his mouth, he swallowed. He had never seen her before, not as a human or as a legend. His mind went through the spirits list, going through the names one by one, none of them matching her face. He cleared his throat when he caught himself staring again.

"So. Hi... I'm Jack Frost."

She smiled, "I know! I've believed in you since I was eleven."

"Eleven?" Jack repeated. Wow, late bloomer. "Why eleven?"

"Some kids at school kept saying things about you. Everyone suddenly started talking about there really being a Jack Frost who brought the snow and created the snow days. It made sense once I thought about it."

"Huh!" Jack sat up further, criss crossed. "That's cool."

She shrugged, tucking some hair behind her ear. Gosh, her skin was pale. "So, what's your name?"

She blinked slowly. "Venia."

"Venia,"Jack repeated, then chuckled. "Interesting."

"Yeah... I didn't exactly pick it."

He cocked his head to the side curiously. "The Man in the moon?"

He watched a few strands of her hair fold over on itself as she nodded. "Yup."

Jack played with his hands, trying to think of something else to say. He didn't want to overstep something personal, and neither did his curiosity want to leave him without knowing about her. Jack looked up to see her taking in the room, her eyes wide. It reminded him of the first time he came to North's place. He could not stop gawking at the magic of everything. Venia appeared equally excited, her lips parted in awe, making soft gasps when she beheld something new.

She looked so beautiful... Reminding him of the frozen beauty that died by his hands. But that frozen flower was tanned with raven black hair and piercing green eyes..

A flashback of those eyes staring at his emotionlessly as they closed grabbed his sudden change to a better mood and threw it to the ground, beating it to shreds. The throbbing return to his heart, and he suddenly felt very tired again. Turning away from the woman, he began to lay back down on the couch, turning with his face inward.

"You okay, Jack?" He heard her voice ask.

His heart froze. She barely knew him, why should she care? "Yeah."

"Okay.. Sweet dreams."

Closing his eyes and welcoming the dark oblivion, he inhaled deeply. "Sweet dreams, Venia."

***~*~*~*~*~*G*~*~*~*~*~***

**Hee hee... And the tale continues...**

**And btw, North's accent is rediculous to write. Haha! If you have problems with it, let me know and I'll change something. **

**Don't hesitate to review! I love any of you who take the time to. :) **


	4. Chapter 4: Morning Wake Up Fall

*~* Chapter 4

Jack's eyes opened suddenly, not quite knowing why. Abruptly leaving the calm expanse of deep sleep, he could feel his brain wake up and desperately wind it's wheels to keep up with the times. Rubbing his eyes, he groaned and yawned, stretching his feet with his toes spread out. He slept fairly well, his only dream being that North invited a girl into his place. She was tall, like him, and thin, like him. Her skin was white as a ghost and her hair a blonde with auburn streaks. And her eyes were a stunning grey. She was nice to him, he remembered. Putting his hands behind his head, he sighed softly, savoring the memory of the dream.

"Thanks, Sandy," he breathed. It had been the only peaceful, pleasant thing he had experienced in how many days now? "I needed that, big time."

He felt the cloud began to envelope his mind again, but this time he didn't try to fight it. Instead, he surrendered to it, allowing his heart to throb as it willed. He deserved as much pain as was given to him. After all, the poor girl he killed must have her pain avenged. Swinging his feet to the floor, he inhaled deeply, rubbing his arm in thought of what he would start out the day with. Glancing about North's living space, he marveled again at the decor that screamed 'wonder' at a person. It was all so cheery and joyful, the opposite of what Jack was feeling. His eyes traveled along with a plane that had escaped the workshop, twisting and making loops about the room. It went over to the huge fireplace, hovering above North's chair before dropping behind it. Jack yelped, slamming into the back of the couch when he jumped back. The blankets on North's chair had stirred, falling to reveal the shoulder of the girl he dreamed about.

Jack swallowed to slow his breathing. Whoa, that was unexpected. Either he was still dreaming or he didn't dream at all. Whichever it was, curiosity got the best of him. Checking his staff's presence leaning on the side of the couch, he rose and slowly crossed the floor to the sleeping figure.

She was certainly the same girl, and this certainly wasn't a dream. Apparently, he had drifted off to sleep last night, not remembering when, right in front of her. Slightly embarrassed, he looked her over, curious as a kid at Christmas.

"Where did you come from?" he whispered, tilting his head. Perhaps he just had never heard of her. North seemed to know who she was last night, and she mentioned Bunnymund. With as many guardians and angels in the world, it was likely impossible to find them all out at once. He reached a hand down to pick up the blanket that fell, but stopped. He withdrew it, his eyes closed. "You probably wouldn't appreciate it all that much if I touched you," he whispered, taking a step back. But her bare shoulder made his fingers ache to.

Curling his hand into a fist, he turned and walked a few steps. He only wanted to cover her back up, was that so wrong? But what was he thinking? The last time he touched someone, death resulted. No, it probably wouldn't happen under the warm roof of North's place, but he knew his ice cold fingers still wouldn't be a pleasant thing to feel while asleep. He recalled the first time he touched Jamie..

"Jamie, wake up! Hurry! You should see the scenery tonight!" He had touched the little boy's bare arm only once to have him wake with a scream.

"Jack! That hurt! Stop!"

"Oh," Jack's face fell. "I'm sorry..."

He watched Jamie realize that all he did was touch him. The little kid's face turned apologetic. "Oh, I'm sorry, Jack! I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. It's just.. You're fingers are cold."

Jack huffed, stuffing his hands into his sweatshirt front pocket. "Sorry, Jamie," he apologized, regardless of it being several years later. He looked back at the girl again.

She was kinda pretty... His hand twitched...

"Nope," he audibly told himself, walking to the window.

A gentle snow was falling, reflecting the thinking mode Jack was in. Wherever this girl came from, she must be quite a ways from it. He had explored every cave and veranda around the Pole, but never found anything civilized. A few empty buildings had their windows peeking from snowy graves, but no people and no legendary figure hideouts. He thought of the Warren and Tooth Palace, the same story being the case. Pitch's lair crossed his mind, but he quickly tossed it aside. Pitch was growing, he could feel it. And he didn't want any part of building that power with unnecessary fear. Besides, no one as delicate as her could withstand anything like Pitch's house of doom. His stole another glance at her, biting his lip.

Her shoulder still remained bare.

Jack let his hand slide off the sill as he walked over to Venia with renewed purpose. Squatting down, he took one edge of the blanket in one hand and the other corner in the other. And raising them up and clearly away from her skin, he gently pulled the slack in the blanket forward, and let it drop. It floated down, covering only half of her shoulder.

"Oh gosh, geeez!" Jack huffed quietly, leaning as close as he dared to concentrate on delicately picking up the blanket's edge with his cold fingers. Letting a held breath go when he had the blanket, he began slowly moving it up her back.

Her eyes shot open and she screamed, landing a solid fist into Jack's nose.

Jack was sent sprawled on his back, allowed one gasp out of shock before he saw her coming down on top of him, a dagger in her hand. With her legs and free hand, she pinned him to the floor. "Hey! Hey heyheyheyhey! I was just tryin' to make you more comfortable!"

Shaking her head, she blinked her eyes upward. "Oh man, I am so, SO sorry, Jack! I didn't know it was you! I thought you were-"

"Somebody ferocious, I know," Jack coughed, sitting his half torso up on his elbows. Venia sheepishly backed off, climbing off of Jack's lower half. "Boy, no body mess with this chick. Sheesh."

Venia put her dagger in its sheath and lowered her eyes. "I'm so sorry. I thought-... Nevermind... Did I hurt you?"

Pinching his nose, he turned his chin up. "Nah.. This happens all the time."

She gave a cry of remorse. "Oh no, I DID hurt you! Your nose is broken!"

"Now hang on just a cotton pickin' second," Jack waved his other hand at the wrist. "I'm not sure if it's broken yet or not."

He saw her cradle her hand out of the corner of his eye. "Well, I think I might have cracked a knuckle or something."

He lowered his head back to normal position again, looking closely at her hand. "Lemme see."

Venia went to her knees on the floor beside him and showed him her hand. The white knuckles were now a bluish-purple color, her veins making their prominent location through the almost translucent skin. But she held it in a straight position with no evident pain when moving her fingers. Jack gave her a smile. "You'll be just fine. Just looks like a bruise."

She sighed. "Oh good. I kind of need that hand."

Jack chuckled, timidly letting go of his nose. "Don't we all?" Not even a nose bleed. Yay, no major damage.

But she still looked sad. "I'm sorry.. I honestly didn't know it was you."

Jack slowly blinked. "Venia, it's okay. Really. Trust me, it could have been a LOT worse."

She seemed only halfway convinced. "Well, okay.. If you say so."

"Don't dwell on it," he assured her, cautiously moving his nose around to feel if there were any broken parts.

She tilted her head up sideways. "How-how can you tell? That it wasn't broken?"

Jack chuckled. "Trust me, I've seen many a break in my time."

"Break your bones a lot?" she cocked a smile.

"Well, not really so much now. When I was in my previous life, my mother had to set many bones after I clowned around." He snickered in memory.

Venia blinked. "Your 'previous life'?"

Jack's eyes lowered to the ground in thought. "Yeah, I wasn't always a winter of spirit. I was once a boy of a pioneer family."

She seemed highly interested, crossing her arms while listening. "What happened?"

He slowly blinked a moment then closed. "I died." It sounded so weird to say that. Too bland and casual for his taste, but no matter. Not like he had a glorious death anyway. Sure, he saved his sister, but there was nothing glorious or fun about drowning.

She must have sensed his sudden melancholy change of mood. "Oh."

Getting up on both legs, he stretched. "So! Whatcha got planned for today?" He really didn't feel like talking about anything in the past right now. And he also really didn't feel like running about as usual today, but he had a few snowstorms to brew. And playing a few tricks along the way surely wouldn't hurt. She'd probably have some fun too.

She gave a thoughtful hm. "Well, I kinda need to find out what to do next. You see, I kinda got lost I guess, and I ran into Bunnymund. And then he referred me to North, and here I am."

Jack smiled and shook his head. "See, you went wrong, right there."

Venia blinked. "Where?"

Jack's arms raised and then fell. "At the part about you planning something already."

"But," she squinted an eye, "I thought that you asked me about that. I was merely answering."

"Pft!" Jack spit, moving about the room with arms outstretched in huge gestures. "There's a BUNCH of things you can do. North's kitchen is huge, Tooth could rot your teeth with her sweetness, Sandy's cool to hang around, Bunnymund is fun to torture-"

"Wait wait," she held up her hand. "Slow down there, I'm new to these names. 'Sandy'? 'Tooth'?"

Jack picked up his staff, leaning onto it. "The Sandman and the Tooth Fairy. Then there's Santa Claus, as North. And the Easter Bunny, as Bunnymund."

Her eyes suddenly lit up brighter than North's Christmas decorations. She reminded him of Jamie when he gave him his first birthday present from Jack Frost. All that wonder, hope, life.. It was all there. As is usual when the Guardians are around. "Oh, could we go meet them?!"

Jack laughed, heading towards the window. "I dunno. Depends on how you like flying."

"In the wind?" she said, apparently now a bit skeptical.

"Well, yeah. You certainly can't just fly on your own with nothing to keep you up. Even the Guardians need something to keep them up and going."

"The Guardians?"

A corner of Jack's smile drooped slightly. "Yeah, it's what we kinda call ourselves. The Guardians of children and their hopes and dreams." Jack flung open the window with ease and stuck a foot out.

"Wait, we're not going now, are we?" Her eyes now looked very worried.

He paused, bringing his foot back into the house. "Why not?"

She stuttered. "Well, I just thought... You know perhaps... I guess maybe..."

"Aw come on!" Jack laughed, reaching out a hand to grab hers, not thinking.

"No, I'm afraid of heights!" She blurted, clutching her arm to her side before he could grab it.

Jack's eyes went wide. "Afraid of heights?! Oh no, not another one.." Come on, wasn't Bunnymund enough of a party pooper? "Dude, you did not just tell me you're afraid of heights?"

Venia chewed on her lip. "Look, I'm sorry, Jack. It's not like a huge phobia, it's just a little quirk I have." Jack crossed his arms, raising a brow. "I guess I'm up for a try. After all, spirits can't die, right?"

Jack thought about that for a moment. "No, we all have our certain dangers. I'm not sure if falling to the ground would kill you." He remembered Sandy beating the crap out of Pitch when he slammed him against the ground, but he didn't die. Though he was sure it hurt like heck. "However, other complicated factors could disable and disintegrate us."

"Huh. Okay.." She looked around the room, as if savoring the feeling of being on solid ground. Her eyes squeezed shut and she said, hurriedly walking over, "Okay, come on, lets go."

Jack's smile grew tenfold. "Great! Just hold onto my chest."

She wrapped her arms around his thin, hooded ribcage. "Around your cheeeeeEEEEEEST! Aaaaaaah!"

Jack smirked, picking up speed as the wind continually picked them up and into the sky as North's window grew smaller and smaller. He could feel her body try to crawl it's way up his sweatshirt, her legs wrapping around his panted leg. He huffed, his direction faltering to the side slightly at her fidgeting. "Chill out, Venia! Don't fight it, just relax and hold on. I'm not gonna let you fall."

She whimpered. "How would I know?! I've never met you before!"

He chuckled nonchalantly, abruptly halting his ascent and having in mid-air. "I thought you said that you believed in me. In your previous life."

She huffed, gripping tighter. "Previous life. Previous life. How do you even know about that?! About mine rather?!"

Carefully, he placed a supporting hand on her back, on the material of her shirt. "Every spirit has had a previous life. And last night you told me about how you believed in me when you were little, and that the Moon picked your name."

"Okay okay!" she almost cried, her grip ever increasing. "I get it! Please, just don't drop me."

Jack smiled softly. "I won't. Don't worry, I've had some practice with this. Jamie loves to ride the wind. Just as long as I don't touch you, we'll be fine."

"Wh-what happens if I touch you?!" She panicked.

Jack shrugged slightly. "I'm freezing cold. I touched Jamie once while flying to try to get a better grip on him, and the freezing temperature made him react, pushing himself off and falling. I caught him by the scruff of course."

Venia half moaned, half cried.

"Aw come on, dude. I'm not gonna do any tricks or anything. I swear!"

"Well this is all new to me. So be nice!" She smashed her face into his chest, making him laugh.

"How are you going to make this all worth it if you don't open your eyes to see the beautiful view from up here?"

With that, her whimpering quieted, and slowly, ever so slowly, she relaxed enough to turn her head outward. She saw the winter sun, brightly shining behind them. And the perfect blue color of the sky. She saw the clouds, floating low below their feet. She saw her feet wrapped around Jack's leg in terror, and his own feet dangling in the air with nothing under them. Bad idea.

She yelped, trying to further move herself up Jack's body. He grunted and huffed, trying to hold his balance and yet not come in contact with her skin. "Lady! Venia! Stop! It's okay!"

"No! We're gonna fall and die!" she was in hysterics.

Jack desperately tried to keep himself aright, becoming slightly annoyed with her sudden panic attack. Couldn't she see that her attempts at climbing to the top of his head were actually making both of them less and less safe?

"Venia, if you don't stop, we WILL fall!" he commented firmly.

But she didn't hear him. He felt her hand lose it's grip as the other grappled the air for his shirt again. Without having a choice, Jack grabbed her forearm and pulled her torso back in to him. Another bad idea.

His hand burned, a bright light suddenly beaming from the contact. He gritted his teeth against the pain, desperately trying to keep a hold on her. Why was this painful for HIM? She apparently felt the pain too, for her knee jammed into his gut, and a sonic boom sounded, forcing the two apart as the light suddenly exploded. Venia fell back, her body limp in unconsciousness. Jack grabbed his hand, hissing at the throb that now shot up his arm from it. Gasping, he shot down after her at lightning speed.

This would NOT happen again.

***~*~*~*~*G*~*~*~*~*~**

**Haha! Sorry to leave ya'll hanging! Including Jack. :P**

**And a BIG shout out to those who have reviewed so far! LOVE YOU GUYS for doing so!**

**Well there's another chapter for ya. Let me know how ya liked it! **


	5. Chapter 5: Promises, Promises

*~* Chapter 5

Jack burst from the snow, gasping for breath. "You have GOT to be kidding me!"The wind was being a butthead and wouldn't listen when he called. He had somehow inconveniently forgotten his staff, which leaned against the couch at North's. And he couldn't dive down fast enough to reach her level. So as a last minute resort, he focused his energy on his hands and blasted a snowbank on the ground underneath of them to land on. What a freaking pain in the neck. Literally. He stretched his neck sideways, trying to relieve the pain at the top of his shoulder. He must have pulled something in his arm.

Then he remembered that it was the same hand that emanated that light when he touched Venia. He flexed his fingers.

"Whoa, I feel like I just got hit by a meteorite," he heard Venia mumble as she stumbled her way over to him.

Glaring at her out of the corner of his eye, he brushed the snow off his sweatshirt. "Not a meteorite, but some of the same repercussions."

She suddenly stiffened. "I thought you said you weren't going to drop me!"

His eyes widened. "Hey! It's not MY fault!" Seriously, she was going to blame HIM for falling? "And you said it wasn't a huge phobia of yours."

"Well, when you're a little scared of something and then are thrust mercilessly into it, your fear of it escalates quickly. You said you wouldn't drop me! YOU are the one who can fly!"

His arms flew out in exasperation. "Who was the one that was kicking me in the stomach, clawing at my face like a cat trying to get on top of my head?!"

"This was YOUR idea in the first place, Frost!"

"So, I guess that EVERYTHING is my fault then, huh?" His cheeks felt something close to lukewarm.

"I don't know about that, but apparently you're just like everybody has always said you are. A trickster!"

His eyes narrowed. All this woman knew about him was about his teasing and prodding. Forget about the joy and fun he brought to people. No, all anyone ever liked was to associate him was with trouble. This lady had Some guts. He turned his back on her and put his hood up, walking away. Interesting how everyone always resorted to that when something went wrong.

He heard her huff from behind. "What, are you going to leave me down here? North's is way up there!"

He stopped, not even looking behind at her, stating bitterly, "FYI, there's more to me than just a fun-loving fool. I actually have a heart." His eyes lifted to the cliff that loomed above them. North's castle, palace, workshop, hideout, whatever you bloody wanted to call it was way out of reach for a flightless person like Venia. In fact, the only way you could get to it was by tunnel or flight. "How'd you get there to begin with?"

"Bunnymund," she replied smugly.

"Wait," he frowned in confusion, facing her. "You mean, you don't have a way of transporting anywhere?"

"If I did, I wouldn't still be standing here talking to you, frost-butt." She smirked.

Jack glared at her, chewing his lip in thought. The snarky delinquent inside wanted to leave her out here, but the gentleman knew he would never do something so cruel. Of course he would take her back up. However, there was only one way to doing that, and he knew she wasn't going to like it. And if it ended up like just now, he wasn't going to either. Maybe it was best to just leave her here..

"Grab my chest."

She stepped back away, "No no.. Y-You will just drop me again!"

He continued to glare with dark, dull eyes. It was hurtful to be accused as a liar and be viewed as a nuisance. But heck, after flippin' 300 years of it, what else could you expect. "Grab. My chest."

Finally realizing that this was her only ticket of getting back, she rubbed her arms in nervousness as she walked closer. He could smell her sweet aroma as she stood in front of him, gathering up her courage. His eyes lulled closed as he paused in his breathing. Then as quick as she held on, he took off for the sky.

Jack's feet didn't touch the sill until she let go of him and stumbled forward through the window. "Didn't drop you, did I?"

"Jackass," she hissed, getting up from the ground.

Jack rolled his eyes under his hood, walking past her and retrieving his staff. What an idiot he was. "Sounds like someone needs to learn how to have fun."

She stood on her feet. "You really are just like what all I've heard about you."

"Oh really?" He rubbed the bark on his staff with his thumb.

"YES! You're a big pain in the butt!"

His jaw clenched as tears clouded his eyes. "Yes, thank you. We just went on a dang flight. You're the one who screwed it up."

"I told you I was afraid of heights; and what do you do? You go and pull a stunt like that by- well, what the heck was it anyway?! All the light, and the loud sound...?" She blinked expectantly at him.

Jack looked up, leaning on his staff. He hadn't the foggiest idea what that was. He brought out his hand and found not a trace that anything had happened. "Listen dude, I don't know. That's never happened before."

Venia now appeared more curious than angry. "But all you did was touch me!"

"Hmm... I dunno. I really don't. But I..." His eyes closed. Guilt pricked his heart, gnawing on the already tender soul. "I'm sorry, okay? I seriously Did NOT mean to drop you.. You slipped off of me, I grabbed you, white light explosion. End of story."

She puffed a blonde-white strand of hair from her face. "You bein' serious?"

Tempted to tuck the strand behind her ear, Jack nodded. "Dead serious. No tricks, no foul play."

She sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead. "It's okay, Jack. But I don't wanna fly anytime soon, alright?"

Jack nodded in understanding.

"That white light hurt, you know? I am very curious about it. Do you think it was me or you?"

"Like a new-found expression of power?" He shrugged. " I suppose it's possible. But I'm not all that anxious to try it again. My arm still stings," he trod to the globe room, glancing around for any sign of life.

"Me... Neither..." She trailed off, eyes bulging from her head. "What is that thing?!"

The globe spun at the same pace it always had, the golden continents dazzling with bright lights. The world was still full of them, Pitch's short-lived reign having been over for more than half a decade now.

"Believers," Jack said, a huge smile growing at the word. "Those are all the believers in hope, joy, and peace. The folk of the world who are young at heart, children or adult."

"I must have been one too!" She commented excitedly.

He nodded. "Yup, as was I at one time. They come on and off. When one light goes out, another replaces it nearby."

A frown lightly tugged her brow. "Why do they go out?"

Jack's breath hitched. "Well.. They grow up, or some bad influence puts it out, or.. death.." He swallowed hard.

"Huh."

Jack glanced sideways at her, observing her delicate features. His eyes traveled down, taking in the graceful lining of her neck that lead to the green material of her shirt. She wore very ordinary looking clothes-a pair of blue jeans, high tops, and the green long sleeved shirt. It was then that it hit him how modern looking she was. All the other spirits had older clothes of a significance that dated back centuries.

"Forgive me, but..." he pressed his staff against his lips a second, forming the words. "You said that you have believed in me since you were young, eleven years old... It was only about six years ago that kids started to believe in me..." His eyes quickly turned to hers.

She blinked a few times. "Yes, well... I'm a fairly new spirit."

"I knew it!" Jack thundered in triumph, jumping into the air. "Ha ha! I knew it! No wonder I couldn't remember you! I'm like, 'After three centuries of hearing about all these spirits and Guardians, why can't I remember her?'"

She chuckled weakly. "Yup."

A door from somewhere slammed shut, making them both jump. They chuckled at themselves. "So.. You're not too much younger than me? In the physical body state I mean."

"Nope, I'm not much different than you, Frost." Her tone was flat, almost emotionless.

Jack wiggled his toes, his head swimming with billions of more questions. But he did 't want to pry. He had a mess of issues with his past as well. Putting them from his mind, he pulled his sweatshirt over his hand and stuck it out towards her. "We didn't exactly get off on the right foot today. Let's forget it ever happened and move on."

A sheepish smile grew on Venia's face. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have acted so jerky."

Jack slightly shrugged. "I guess you had a right to. It did kinda look like I just dropped you, from your perspective."

She chuckled, pulling her sleeve over her own hand and taking his that way. "Deal."

And they shook on it. Jack's smile softened, his eyes venturing to look into her grey eyes as Venia looked up into his own. "You're awake!" a voiced boomed from the door.

The two teens jumped, their covered hands breaking apart. "North! Do you have to creep up on a person?!"

"Of course, Jack. How else I know if you is sleeping or awake?" He chuckled to himself. "Breakfast anyone?"

Jack turned to Venia, a glint in his eye. "Wanna have some fun after breakfast?"

Her smiled faltered. "It isn't anything like just a few minutes ago, is it?"

Jack smirked. "No, doofus. No more falling from the sky."

She wiped invisible sweat from her forehead. "Glad to know."

Oh, how she wished she could wring Jack's throat.

"FROST! YOU'RE NUTS!"

Jack's laughter echoed through the ice cave, bouncing off the walls. With a "FWAP" he gathered the slack in the reigns and slapped them against the reindeer's hide. "Whoo hooooo!"

The reindeer threw themselves forward at a faster pace. How he managed to steal them from under every nose in the pole surprised even himself. Jack had harnessed every reindeer (with Dasher as the exception, he wouldn't leave his stall) and lead them out to the sleigh. With several clicks, they were hooked up and ready to go. Grabbing Venia's sleeve, he hauled her butt to the sleigh and plopped her down.

"So, you're going to have to get used to heights if you're going to hang around me." She opened her mouth to protest, but he held his hand up against it. "Nope, not a word. North says to keep an eye on you today and relieve some stress off you're shoulders that you apparently have in your life. So, as the first order of business, you will learn to fly." And with a "Yeehaw", they took off down the icy tunnel, bursting through the cave's opening.

Venia clutched the seat of the sleigh, much like Bunnymund did all those years ago when the Guardians took their first trip on the sleigh together. Jack shook his head and nudged her playfully. "Relax, chick. It becomes more fun when you're enjoying it."

"Well, I supposed this is better than having your ribcage and appendages as the only thing to hold on to in the air," she said, eyes shut tightly as the reindeer ascended upward.

"Now, I do have one tiny confession to make." Jack slapped the reins again.

"What is it, Frost?"

"We Guardians have a cheating habit in our ways of transportation. It helps us get around easier." He pulled a snow globe from the pocket of his sweatshirt and held it out to her. "This is a snow globe."

She cracked an eye open, finally releasing her death grip on the wood to take the globe.

"Whisper any location you wanna go, and then throw it ahead of the sleigh."

Venia thought for a moment, watching Jack's elusive expression of curiosity play on his young face. They bounced around as the sleigh took a sharp twist, causing them both to slam on the backrest and Jack to grip the reigns tighter.

"Say, 'Pond of Burgess'," Jack suggested.

Venia licked her lips and whispered the words, then cautiously threw the snow globe at the head of the reindeer. A gigantic, swirling whirlpool opened as wide as the excitement of Venia's eyes. Jack grinned and cracked the whip, sending them into the door between worlds.

They happened upon the snowy landscape of Burgess sure enough, right by the pond. Pulling the reigns to the left, Jack directed the sleigh just before hitting a solid oak tree. Then with a thud and a lot of sloshing snow sideways onto the surrounding trees, the sleigh hit the ground the instant the reindeer were halted.

"Have you ever driven one of those before?" Venia asked, her legs shaking as she stepped off to the ground.

Jack shrugged. "Once or twice, maybe." He walked up to the leading reindeer and stuck a finger in its face. "Stay." The reindeer snorted.

"Whoa, smooth landing, Jack," someone said from behind. Venia instinctively whipped out her dagger.

"Shut up, Jamie," Jack whined, giving the young man a high five. "You can barely drive your mom's car. What're you doin' out here?"

Jamie rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. "Just taking a walk. Who's this?"

Venia looked to Jack, lowering her dagger. "I'm Venia."

"Venia?" Jamie smiled, bowing at the torso.

Jack chuckled. "Yeah, she's my tutee for the day."

Venia put her hands on her hips, a smile on her face. "Excuse me?"

"She needs to learn to like heights," Jack sadly shook his head.

"Oooooh," Jamie drew out. "You a new Guardian?"

She shook her head. "No, just a newbie, period." Her foot kicked up a puff of snow.

"With no mode of transportation," Jack added.

"Hey," she pointed the dagger at him.

Jamie huffed. "Get that away from Frost, dude." He pushed the dagger down from Jack's direction. "That's unsafe. And you hurt him, I hurt you."

She sighed, putting her dagger in its sheath. "Nice to know that I don't appear very threatening."

Jamie snorted. "Dressed like that? Nuh uh."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Okay, so we're not here to sit around and talk all day." He scooped some snow from the ground in his palm. "Lets play war."

Jamie was then hit in the head with a hurtling snowball. The teen laughed and bent down to form his own, gaining another hit on his bent behind.

"Oooo, Jamie! I think I just hit a twenty-pointer!" Jack called out.

"Dream on, Frostball!" Jamie hurled a ball the size of his fist at the other teen.

Jack leapt out of the way, getting hit at the base of his calf. "Sorry to tell ya this, man, but that one was a little weak."

Jamie laughed. "A little warm up is good for the arm. We'll see who's the last one standing, the one who's outdone himself?" He dodged a snow bullet. "Or the smart chap who took it slow and steady?"

"Going slow will get you now where in this game!" Jack quipped, throwing a snowball with a curve to his wrist.

"STOP!" Both boys froze in their positions, arms full of readied snowballs. "Can't I get a word in?"

Jamie cocked an eyebrow. "Venia, why don't you join in?"

"I thought he was going to take me to see Sandy and Tooth," Venia recalled with clarity.

"Oh yeah," Jack face-palmed.

"Hold on there, we were in the middle of a game, people," Jamie reminded them.

Jack shrugged reluctantly. "A promise is a promise."

"Well, I'm not trying to cause trouble. I just wondered if maybe we all could go visit them," Venia clarified. "It would be twice the fun."

Jamie put a hand on his side. "I got football practice in half an hour. I don't have time to go visit them right now."

"We could go fast," Jack suggested, wiggling his eyebrows.

Venia shook her head. "Nuh uh, you're not going to fly me around like a load of cargo on a run away train." Jack laughed.

"Why don't you just stick around till I have to go?" Jamie asked.

Jack bit his lip. "We could.. But I'm not sure when Bunnymund is leaving. He's due somewhere sometime today." Jamie and Venia peered oddly at him. Jack huffed, "I dunno what it was all about! I just overheard him saying something about it last week. I figured we might be able to catch him if we tried."

Jamie's cocked brow didn't waver. "Alrighty then, Jack, as fishy as that sounds. I say we settle it over a game."

Jack smirked. "You've hung around me haven't you?"

"For too many years," Jamie added. "Okay, the object is to cross the road without slipping on the ice on their butt. If I can do it, then you stay here. If Venia can do it, you go to the Warren."

Venia looked on past the two boys at the main road that peeked out at the edge of the woods. "That one?"

"Yup," Jamie nodded, heading towards it, the two spirits following him. He pointed to Jack. "But YOU can't play."

Jack's hand rose to his chest. "Why not me?"

"You're too good with ice," Venia smirked. "Okay then," she sighed as she surveyed the blacktop. "This shouldn't be too bad." But she suddenly jumped back when a hissing sound emanated from the staff in the hands of the boy standing beside her.

"Not anymore," Jack smirked, finishing a thick coat of ice over the road, spreading out past where the eye could see for good measure.

Jamie blew his bangs out of his eyes. "Nice, Jack. Okay! Ya ready, Venia?" She nodded, shaking Jamie's hand in good sportsmanship. Jamie yanked his hand out of hers. "Gosh! Girl, you're cold!"

Venia looked down sheepishly. "Yeah, my skin is cold. Don't ask me why though, I haven't the faintest idea."

Jack turned toward her, eyeing her curiously. "Where-?"

"You up, Jamie-Boy?" Venia shouted above Jack's beginning question. Jack blinked, his curiosity only stirred even more.

Jamie didn't have to be asked twice. "Sure am, woman!"

He strolled up to the edge of the snow, analyzing where snow met blacktop... Or rather, ice. Jack noticed that there were only two lanes that they had to cross. He watched as Jamie held his breath, hovering an extended foot over the blacktop. Then with careful precision, he placed his foot down.

"Whoo, go Jamie!" Jack whooped.

Jamie gave a light bow with his head before continuing. He was doing rather well, and Venia actually thought he was going to make it. But about a foot before the other side of the road, Jamie's toe slipped when he placed it down too gently, causing his balance to tip and his other foot to lose traction. His legs flew out from underneath of him as he plopped to the ground hard on his bottom. Venia and Jack couldn't help but laugh.

"Very funny, folks!" Jamie yelled sarcastically. He attempted to pick himself up, only to fall again, hitting hit knees. Jack walked over the iced road with ease, lifting the 15 year old from it. "Your turn, Venia."

She swallowed. She never remembered doing anything like this before. Paranoid, she looked to the left and then to the right for traffic. Jack snickered when she repeated this action a few times.

"Come on, this road is hardly ever used except by residents," Jamie whined impatiently. "Get a move on!"

Asking herself just how stupid she was, she stepped out on the ice.. and didn't fall. Jack's smile grew wider as she took it step by step, without falling. "Yahoo! Go Venia!"

Nobody saw the uncontrolled car. Nobody heard the car. Not until it was right on the edge of the horizon, its tires squealing as they fought to grip the road. In what felt like slow-mo, Jack and Jamie watched the car slide right into Venia. Her expression was wordless, a mere deer-in-the-headlights look. The shock then turned to self defense as her face twisted, waiting for impact. The impact that never came.

Jack's jaw dropped and Jamie's hand flew to his mouth in awe as Venia simply disappeared, the car struggling right through where she once stood as the driver continued to go about his way trying to gain control on the ice.

When it disappeared over the other end of the horizon, silence settled on the two teens. Jack floated over to the road, waving his hands around the spot Venia had stood. "What the heck?" he whispered under his breath.

Jamie peered around the area, scooting around in the snow, and blinking a million times per second. "Jack... What was that all about?"

Jack ran both hands through his hair, his breath shaky as he exhaled. "I dunno, Jamie, I-... I don't know." His panic increased as he only saw an empty space and no reappearing Venia. "Oh, Jamie, we gotta find her! Where in flippin' heck did she go?! Where Could she go?!"

Jamie's voice was soft. "I'm not sure, dude." He jumped at the sound of his name being called. "Aw Jack, I gotta go. Football practice."

Jack nodded weakly, taking a few steps back. "O-okay, Jamie. I'll see ya later."

Jamie sighed, biting his lip. "Jack, listen, I'll fake an injury and come home as quick as I can, okay? I'll be home really soon!" He ran through the woods to his house.

Jack pinched his nose, holding his breath, and scratching his neck. Wha-.. Where did Venia go?

***~*~*~*~*~*G*~*~*~*~*~***

**So, finals are coming up (*hysterical crying*) and I'm kinda in the dumps. Please be patient with my updates. :)**

**And btw, I have neglected to put disclaimers on these chapters. So, what the heck, you KNOW I don't own all this. If I did, you would be seeing a movie or tv series or something or that nature on your tv screen, not an entry of fanfiction on your computer screen. So, in other words, i don't own any of this. Haha! **

**Also, a HUGE shout out (YAAAAHOOOOOOOOOOOO!) to oOWhispers in the DarkOo. This person is awesome and been so supportive in my story so far. So thank you so much! **

**And to anyone who has read this, thanks :) Please review! I would love to hear a good/bad analysis from you. :) Please?**


	6. Chapter 6: Darkness Surrounding the Soul

The wind whistled through his hair as he crouched down. His staff creaked under his feet, and he leaned ever so slightly to the side to correct his balance. Straight up from the ground it stood, with him sitting on the top of the crook.

The wind pulled at his clothes, urging and pleading for him to go back, but he ignored it. His face was set forward, staring intently at the darkness of the woods. The wind tried again, biting his face and poking his eyes. But he only blinked a few times and wrinkled his nose. With a mournful sigh, the wind gave up.

The shadow had moved. Jack's gaze remained unaltered, but the wind died down to a stand still. His breath hitched in his throat and every hair on his neck stood up, but he forced his mind to focus. "Hello, Jack.." the voice said in a smooth, earthy tone.

Jack flinched, his heartbeat rising to incredible speeds as every muscle in his thin body screamed for him to run. But his will was more powerful than his fear. "Hey, Pitch."

At the mention of his name, the shadow grew in confidence, slinking its way from the darkness and shaping into the form of a thin, pale, darkly clothed man. His yellow eyes pierced into Jack's icy blue. "Miss me?"

Jack shook his head. "Not at all, Pitch. What are you doing, roaming about?"

"I could ask the same of you. Doesn't everyone have their own right to taking a walk in the eventide?" His hand lazily rolled out in gesture.

"Not if they tried to take over the entire world. Most people would want those kind of folk locked up and disabled, if not dead."

"And you know everything about being unwanted, don't you?" He grinned maliciously.

Jack's eyes hardened. "What do you want, Pitch?"

He chuckled. "To know what you were doing in this part of the world during this part of the day?"

He sighed. "Fine. It's my pond. I go here to think. Then I heard a rustle in the woods, smelled the stench of pitch black, and waited for you to show your ugly mug."

Pitch's eyes dulled. "To find out what I was doing, no doubt?"

"We're going in circles," Jack continued to glare.

"Ah ha, but you were always one for games. No matter, I'll give it to you straight." He put his hands together and paused before stating nonchalantly, "Venia has to die."

His chest heaved as if he had been shot. "No.."

"Yes, I'm afraid so, Jackie," Pitch's face lowered in mock sympathy.

"How did you know about her?"he demanded.

Pitch huffed, "She may be new but she's not unknown, Jack. Especially by important spirits like me who have the power to know almost everything that goes on."

"Which makes your defeat several years ago all that more pathetic, doesn't it?" Jack smirked.

The evil eyes grew firm. "Such things you will regret before too long."

"You flippin' piece of crap! You'll DIE before you touch her!" Jack dropped to the ground and held his staff up in attack mode.

Pitch seemed unfazed. "Which it will be hard to defend her when you don't even know where she is!" He laughed, as Jack's eyes weakened. "And since when did you care so much?"

He felt the warm grow in his frozen cheeks. "I DO have a heart, you know."

"Oh, is someone developing feelings?" Pitched smirked, holding his hands over his heart.

"NO!" Jacked snapped, surprise lining his face. "I just care about people. And don't mention that again, or I'll beat the crap out of you!"

"Calm down, boy!" Pitch ordered with a stern frown. "And pay attention."

Jack's eyes grew in increased fear as the darkness began circling him, his staff lowering slightly. "You, Jackie, can live if you join my side," the dark spirit hissed.

Jack smirked, pointing his staff in the direction of the voice. "That's always your story! And one that you know to the ending to very well. 'And Jack Frost didn't join, The End'."

He sounded disappointed. "Because you don't know what all you can really do! In fact, you simply can't fight who you really are."

Although told that before, there was something about that last part of Pitch's comment that sounded so bold and solid. As if he couldn't buck against it so quickly as he wanted to. Instead it slowed his thinking, and stifled his anger. Jack paused, unwillingly lowering his staff. "What do you mean?"

Pitch turned to face the woods, the blackness of his robe curling down at the snow into thin air. "You may have a heart, Jack. But it's a cold one."

At that, he lost it. "SHUT UP!" Jack thundered, raising his staff over his head and shooting sharp pieces of ice.

Pitch blinked and ducked from the icy flame, stepping to the left to dodge another attack, and running backwards with his palms held out. "Jack, you can't fight it! It's pointless!"

Anger welled in his chest, creating an energy that swelled and grew as it transferred to his staff. "I said, SHUT UP!"

Pitch again leapt out of the way just in time, a spray from the snow dotting his black apparel. Jack jumped in the air, throwing a punch at his face, knocking Pitch sideways into a tree. Jack threw him up against it, landing another punch at

Pitch's jaw. He panted, desperately trying block the next blow. "Jack, WHY do you think you killed that girl? A young woman who you didn't even know her name!"

The boy's eyes widened as the staff stopped in mid-air over Pitch's head. It suddenly hit him like a wave of ice water: he didn't know her name. One hand lost the grip on his staff as he took a step back, the weapon wobbling in his hand. "How did you know about that?"

Pitch grinned yellow teeth, his eyes glowing. "Aside from knowing almost everything, I drank from the rich fear that flowed from her body when you pulled her from the water."

Tears gathered in Jack's eyes, but he blinked them off, regaining his step and raising his staff. He couldn't show Pitch that he was weak. He held it up to Pitch's neck. "You sick, twisted-."

"Nah uh uh! You've no room to talk. You are no better." Jack frowned, pressing the edge of the wood into his throat. Pitch gave a nervous chuckle, pressing himself further back into the tree."Yes, why, just look at you right now!"

Pitch hadn't tried to attack him. Well.. physically anyway, and there was no one else around in the crisp night air. The moon shone down as a light over the spot where Jack had Pitch against a tree, ramming his weapon into his throat. So basically, Pitch was playing the victim. Jack exhaled, "This is different, Pitch. You're evil."

"So, you're saying that I'm the bad guy, and you're the good guy?" a smile tugged the corners of his mouth.

"Yup." His hold didn't weaken.

"You might want to rethink that closely," Pitch drawled, his eyes met Jack's. Those eyes... eyes that spoke of torture and pain, that promised a tantalizing fear. He saw them flash green, the look of emotionless horror appear as they took Jack to a couple of nights ago in a meadow. They remained still and unblinking, glossing over in an unnatural position that gazed right past Jack. The emerald eyes stared in death, the cold slowly cresting the line of a black brow. Conviction seeped into the younger man's heart as he crumbled at Pitch's feet, sobbing into his hands.

The dark spirit's eyes returned to their yellow color, looking down at the boy. A long thin hand stroked his white tuffs of hair. "There, there Jack. It's simply who you are. You couldn't help yourself. It wasn't an accident, it was your nature. You're cold and hard... How could you help it?"

Sobs racked his body. Jack felt his stomach lurch as he rolled forward, blindly swatting Pitch's hand off his head. "Just go away," he whimpered.

"But Jack," his throat contained a tone of complete confidence. "You belong in the darkness. Cold and loneliness, it goes together with it. You need to stop fighting the Moon's purpose for you."

He felt the tears continue to stream. "But why was I chosen then?" Jack blurted, his lip quivering. "Why was I elected as a Guardian if my purpose is to destroy like you?"

Pitch's eyes turned to the side. "I was once like you, Jack... Confused, lonely, guilty. I thought I had found my purpose, but only when I allowed the darkness to completely overtake my soul..." His eyes glistened in excitement. "Then, THEN did I realize who I was MEANT to be. Feared by everyone as the Nightmare King! It just took me a while to find that out."

Jack spit phlegm from his mouth, coughing and wheezing in short breaths. "Well, what about Bunnymund? And North?... Tooth, and Sandy? Jamie? They see me as one."

"No, they take advantage of you as one," Pitch spat, leaning down to Jack's ear. "To them, you're just an extra hand, another weapon against me."

Jack curled into himself, his sweatshirt wet with the snow. So many thoughts swirled in his mind, he gave up trying to give them any order. He heard Pitch sneer before feeling something hard dent into his stomach. The boy cried out as Pitch kicked him, covering his ears from his own screams. All this humiliation for so many years.. He felt a few of the last strands of his will to fight break loose as Pitch then shuffled into the woods.

"Think about it, Frost!" Pitch's words rose above the sound of his scooting over the snow. "Oh and one more thing.." Jack winced, covering his head with his arms to brace for some kind of attack. Pitch laughed at the boy's attempts. "Sarah Hopwood. That was her name." His voice lingered as it echoed his departure.

It was several hours of silence before the wind came rushing to the teen, swirling around him and peering for his face. Jack just laid there, relishing the simple act of breathing in and out. A hand stretched from clutching his abdomen, checking to see if his staff still lay there beside him. It did. Sighing, his eyes cracked open.

Sunlight had eaten up the darkness. With the night now over, Jack wearily got to his feet, not wanting to risk any chances of being found or seen. He couldn't afford to let anyone see him like this, let alone an innocent child wandering around. The repercussions would be unbearable, the child's hope having crumbled at the sight of a Guardian beaten into the snow. Then he remembered..

He wasn't even a true Guardian.

Shutting his eyes against the grief that threatened to drown him, Jack whispered for the wind to take him away. The swell in his chest choked him as he flew, but he pressed onward. Regardless of who he was or what he was, Venia was in danger. And as long as he was going to fight with his remaining strength against the darkness that surrounded his soul... He needed to find Venia. His head throbbed.

He couldn't afford to fail again.

***~*~*~*~*~*~*G*~*~*~*~*~*~***

**Again, I don't own anything. And now we have some action to transpire in the near future. I think I imagine Jack to be very dangerous when ticked off. Judging from the scene where he and Pitch throw a couple hard ones at each other, that might not be far off. I dunno, PM me if you think I'm off. **

**Please review? Please? :) With a cherry on top?**


	7. Chapter 7: Cave's Reveal

She was in an alley in Arizona. How he managed to find her he considered to be from divine intervention. He had decided to stay within the US, seeing as that was the country they were in to begin with. And after a thorough search of Burgess and the surrounding towns, he summoned the Western and Southern winds to fly through the lands and find her out in the warmer areas he rarely ventured. It took him and the Eastern winds all day to look through New England, not even stopping when children shrieked with joy at the sight of their Guardian. Once through with Indiana, a blast of warm air returned, blowing around his face with urgency. Jack then headed deeper into the southwest without a second thought. Following the wind's direction, it wasn't long before he spotted her.

The heat of the desert climate hit him in the face upon his descent. He could feel his temperature instantly warming, the effects very gradual but there all the same. His lungs were heavy, as if he had to push against the humidity to breath. Heading down the dead end space between two buildings, Jack quickened his pace.

"No. No no nonononono, Venia!" He shouted, landing on his knees by her limp body. "Venia, get up. Come on, dude, get up!"

He slid a hand under her head, lifting it from the dirt. His other hand wrapped around to her shoulder opposite of him, grunting as he tried to lift her into his lap. Not thinking, he grabbed her wrist, right on her pale skin, and yanked up and over onto his shoulder as far as his long arm could. The pain pricked his skin at the contact, beginning as tiny needles and growing the longer he held on. He dropped her wrist with a hiss as the pain turned to knives, Venia falling back into her flat position on his legs.

His hands awkwardly flailed above her, his mind spinning at trying to figure out how to touch her. "Dang it, Venia, how am I supposed to get you back?!"

He looked her over, checking for injuries. Leaning his ear down to her nose, he sighed with relief at hearing her inhale. She was still alive, thank God. Her skin was still a ghostly pale, and he then realized how much cold radiated from her unconscious form. "Strange," he muttered, leaning down a second time to hear a breath. Jack gently rolled her to the ground again, being careful to keep his hand on the barrier of the material of her clothes. He stood up, turning around in half circles as he debated on what to do. His fingers yanked through his hair.

Gloves. He needed gloves. A smile grew at the idea, and he took off to the sky. Flying above the town, he spotted a small clothing store with "Half Price Off!" signs covering the windows. It wasn't long before he was pushing open the door.

The cashier sat in his chair with a paper spread over his face, munching on a candy bar. At the sound of the bell at the door, he gave a mumbled greeting, not even looking up. "Welcome. It's slow today so let me know if ya need anything."

Jack chuckled before turning to the aisles, scanning through the categorized signs for the gloves and mittens section. He knew the man probably couldn't see him, much less hear him. Opportunity came knocking at the teens door, and he let it right on in. Grabbing a coat from its hanger as he walked past it without even stopping, he gave it a fling.

The rustle of papers indicated the cashier's startled state. "Hey! What's the big idea? I'm trying to read, keep it... Quiet." A coat lay unsuspectingly on the floor of an empty store. The cashier paused, swallowing some thick spit. Then he fluffed out his papers, grumbling something about his ridiculous superstitions.

Jack chuckled, picking up a pair of shoes and hurling them at the wall as hard as he could, barely missing the cashier's bald head. The man jumped at the noise, standing from his seat and clutching the register with wide eyes. "Who's there?"

"Ah, no one, Skipper. Just a 324 year old frozen teen in need of a pair of gloves," Jack replied, regardless of knowing he wouldn't be heard. He finally made it to the gloves department and grabbed two pairs. Turning around, he deliberately knocked his staff into the shelves, showering underwear packages onto the floor.

"Show yourself!" The man shouted, visibly shaking from his position behind the counter. "I know you're in here!"

Jack smirked, wrapping a bright red scarf around his neck. The cashier's eyes glazed in horror as he watched the scarf pick itself up and wrap around an invisible object. Clearly disgusted with the attire, Jack suddenly began yanking it, trying to get the hot, stuffy thing off his neck. The cashier looked as if he'd fall over, meekly sinking to his chair and watching the scarf rip off and float to the ground. His eyes never left it as Jack jammed his hand into his small pants pocket, pulling out a couple coins.

"I found them on the street, so here you go. Take them so I'm not stealing these," a few pairs of gloves waved back and forth in the air as money was suddenly planted onto the counter. "Have a nice day."

The cashier stared after the door that had opened by itself, ringing the blasted bell as if to prove that he wasn't sleeping and that something was definitely going through it. He exhaled long and deep, reminding himself how thankful he was that he didn't have the night shift.

With the gloves, Jack headed back for the alley. Dang, it was hot. The temperature was too warm for the liking, his frozen body rising to a level he hadn't felt for a long time. The thickness in his chest grew, making him take some extra deep breaths for air before he suddenly dropped a few feet. "Wha? What in the-whoa! Ahhh!"

His teeth bared as he fought to stay up, the wind continually ignoring him as it rushed under his feet. "Hello! Little help here?" But the southern/western winds had more of a wild side than the northern. They had a will of their own at times, and hardly being around the area made Jack more of a nuisance to them than a commander of power. Frustrated, he was dumped off in the alley.

"Frickin' heat," he growled, kneeling beside Venia. "Okay, girl, I got this now. I'm gonna get you out of here." He slipped the thin material over his fingers, pulling them under the cuffs of his blue sweatshirt. A drop of sweat slid down his forehead, catching in his brow. "Phew, it's hot."

With ease he scooped her up into his arms, marveling at how easy it was. He remembered the last time he held someone, Sophie, crawling into her bed and ripping her arms from his neck to lay her down. Although he would never admit it, he loved the feeling of having a dependent soul in his arms. He looked down at Venia, her eyes closed in a peaceful sleep, unaware of the danger the heat was posing to both her and Jack. Lodging his stick inconveniently under his arm, he took off at the fastest trot he could manage.

Jack exited the city and entered straight into a valley of desert. The sand squished inbetween his toes, appearing to be hard and constant, but treacherously sliding and moving with every step. The sides of clay rocks jeered at him as he passed, huffing and puffing as the sweat beaded his forehead. His stomach felt hollow and warm, its nonexistent contents threatening to pitch themselves out of his mouth. He threw his head back, pausing in his quickened stride. "Oh boy. Man.. This isn't good. This can't be good. Why is it so hot?"

Desperate to take his mind off of the dry feeling that leaked into his bones, he gazed down at the girl in his arms. Her skin was not as pale now, the color pink lightly painting her cheeks. Her blonde streaked hair was mysteriously wet at the roots, a thick foam bubbling at the collar of her shirt. His eyes wandered past the edge of the green material...

Jack shook his head, disgusted with himself. "Focus on the heat, you jerk. The dry, horrible, killing heat."

His mind took him back to hundreds of years ago. It was bright and very hot that one summer. He and his sister, only a toddler at the time, were kicking their feet around in the pond that Pa had showed them in the woods. He had told them not to swim unless he or Ma was around, but Jack had figured that a little wading wouldn't do much harm.

_"Jump jump!" She had squealed, gaining Jack's interest as he stood. _

_"Yeah, lets jump! Pa won't mind!" The little Jack laughed. "It isn't swimming." _

_The joyful squeals of his baby sister were immediately silenced as the dark water engulfed his body. He panicked, the helplessness of never having swam on his own taking root. He didn't expect the complete drop off from the water's edge, he only wanted his feet to meet the squishy goo of the pond's bottom. He held his breath, forcing his eyes to look around in the mirky water. The urge to reach up overpowered his senses, causing his arm to grasp up and then shoot down through the water. The motion propelled him up somewhat, hope flooding his heart as he tried it again with his other arm. Jack's feet gave a sweeping kick, gaining him more speed to the surface. A brighter tone of the water suddenly hit his face, and before he knew it, he had shot up from the water, gasping the sweet air. _

_"Jack!" he heard her tiny scream, confusion thick in her voice. _

_He kicked his feet and moved them around, his arms working simultaneously. Amazingly, his head remained above the water. "I'm fine!" he joked it off, diving back into the water to see if he could do it again. Sure enough, he met the surface. "This is so cool! I'm swimming! Without Pa's help!" _

_"Now you're gonna get a whoopin', WITH your Pa's help," he heard a deep voice rumble behind him, humor laced in its tone. Before he could turn to see the man, he felt a strong hand grab the scruff of his shirt collar. _

Jack chuckled to himself, shaking away the memory. But the rumbling from the voice in his past never stopped. It only grew deeper. Jack halted, looking in all directions for the source of the noise, his jaw dropping as he looked ahead. A billowing veil of brown and yellow was sweeping its way right towards him, the wind howling in his ears with enraged force. It rose like a tidal wave, curling and crashing as the wind swept its billows into each other, thundering from the impact. "Sand storm."

He heaved Venia further up his arms, tightening his grip on her all the more, his legs sprinting into the same direction he had come from. Sand pricked his eyes, burrowing into the crooks of his skin and collecting in his hair. He yelled up at the wind, ordering it to pick him up and carry him to safer ground, but the wind ignored him. Screaming curses, he bit his lip and put his head down against it, putting his whole energy into running.

He barely made it to the more narrower parts of the red clay mountains, their close proximity providing blocking barrier from the sand for a brief moment, allowing Jack's keen eye to spot the black gaping opening to the right of them. His body pulsed with pain as he stumbled into the dark cave, almost dropping Venia in the process. He didn't stop though as he ventured deeper through the dark, his heart beating into his throat from the adrenaline. The darkness hid the rock from his heightened attention, sending him sprawling face-first onto the cave's jagged floor. He yelped and held his arms in as hard as he could, preventing Venia from flying from his grasp. He landed on his stomach with his elbows propped up.

"Oooo... Gosh dang it! AH! Owww..." He moaned, his lungs suddenly constricted from the force of the fall. He lay his face in the dirt, puffing and biting back urges to scream. "Oo.. Venia? Venia!" He pulled himself painfully up, wincing at the weight grinding his raw elbows against the sweatshirt material. When he saw that she was unhurt and still breathing, he let himself fall limp in relief. He was so tired. His head throbbed with every beat of his heart, the bruises from Pitch yesterday knotting his stomach. All the excitement from the events suddenly bled from his body, slowly dragging his eyelids to a close.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*G*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Jack! Jack, get up! Come one, don't go out on me, please!"

Jack's lips formed a hazy smile, his brain coming to the realization that Venia was shaking him. "I'm not dead, doofus."

She sighed heavily. "Oh gosh, I honestly didn't know if you were going to wake up. Frost, you're so hot."

He chuckled very weakly. He was surprised at how hoarse his voice sounded. "Well, typically I'd be okay with that kind of a compliment, but coming from you, it's just a little weird." He couldn't see her face, for it was very dark in there, the only sound being the blowing sand that echoed from the mouth of the cave.

Venia's lips made a fine line. "Knock it off, Jack, I'm serious."

Blinking sand from his eyes, Jack pondered her comment. He was... 'so hot'? Jack Frost had never felt hot in his life... This life. All he felt was cold. Icy, frozen, numbing cold. Something wasn't right here. "What do you mean, I'm hot?"

Venia grabbed his sweatshirt and gently rolled him onto his back. A painful cry escaped his lips before he could stop it, making Venia wince. "Sorry babe! I didn't know-"

Jack grunted down the pain. "It's okay, Venia. Don't worry about it." His whole trunk hurt like heck. It felt like someone had kicked the crap out of him. Then the pitch blackness of the cave reminded him... Oh yeah. Someone did yesterday.

"Man, we need to get some light in here," he heard Venia say. "This darkness is about to drive me up the wall. Why are we in here anyway? Where are we?"

Jack shifted ever so slightly, trying to move into a more comfortable position. "There was a sandstorm. I ran until I could find shelter, and this was the first place I found."

"A sandstorm?!"

"Yes," his voice wavered, stifling a cry. "We uh.. We were out in a desert. The wind wouldn't carry us back." Jack paused, a thought suddenly hitting him. "Yo, where were you?! You were just walking on the ice, a car hits you, you disappear, I go to find you, and you end up in an alley in Arizona! What the heck happened?!"

He felt her hand rest on his sweatshirt. "I don't know myself, Jack. I saw the car and then everything went black. I opened my eyes to peer through the darkness of a cave with you passed out beside me."

"Hm.. That's curious indeed," Jack mulled, gently touching a soft spot on his head. "I wonder, like, what all had caused that. You moving instantly from one place to another."

"I dunno." She sighed. Jack's eyes closed as he felt her breath kiss his face. "But Jack, you are very warm, and we need to do something. You say we're in Arizona?"

"Yes. Which is very far from anywhere cold, especially in a sandstorm."

"Anywhere cold? So you have to stay somewhere cold?"

"Apparently. Long ago I ventured into hotter parts of the world, and still do if I'm feeling really spunky. But it always takes a toll on me. I'm not made for the heat. I was frozen in a pond, I'm supposed to stay cold." Gosh, his chest hurt.

"Makes sense," Venia concluded. "How long did the storm last? Do you know?" Her fingers moved about his thin form, checking for any obvious injuries underneath the material.

"No, it had just started when I threw us into the cave." He closed his eyes, relishing the tender motion of this caring being. "If you listen you can still hear the wind howling. It's probably still going."

"Dang it," she breathed, lightly patting his chest in frustration.

Remembering the gloves, Jack reached up a hand onto what he assumed was her shoulder. He gasped when he felt the wet seep through the cotton material. "Venia! You're soaked!"

She chuckled weakly, "You should feel yourself. But yes, apparently we're both a little hot."

Jack's thumb wiped back and forth, using his glove to try and soak up as much of the sweat that he could. His hand curved around the base of, not her shoulder, but her neck. Feeling the long thinness of her neck instead of the roundness of a shoulder, he swallowed, his hand recoiling. "Sorry! I didn't know, I thought I had your shoulder."

Venia shook her head and playfully swatted his hand. "No biggy, dude."

He heard her shuffle to her feet, taking a few steps away into the cave. His chest tightened at the thought of her leaving him. "Where're you going?"

"To see if I could find some pieces of wood or something. We need some light in here."

Jack leaned up on his scraped elbows, forcing his voice to remain steady. "I'll help."

"Frost, you stay right there. You are a mess, I can find something just fine."

"Four grappling hands is better than two," Jack smirked in the darkness, leaning his weight heavily on his staff to bring himself up.

Venia sighed, shuffling over to Jack. She linked her arm with his free one, lifting his weight up from his feet a little more. "Okay then. But if you feel bad, tell me and we'll stop. I don't want you passing out on top of me." She chuckled.

Jack tilted his head at an idea. "You know, what we need is some water. There might not be any wood in a cave, but there can be water."

"In a desert cave?"

"Sure. The deeper the cave, the deeper into the earth it goes. Springs flow in the heart of the earth." He smiled at the thought. Finding a spring would solve most of their problems.

Venia stopped them. "But what if we go deeper in? Will we ever be able to go back out?"

Jack hummed in thought as he shifted his weight to his other foot. "Probably not the same way. But if we find a spring, we can cool down, wash off, and follow it until we hit daylight. There, problems solved." He lead them on to continue walking.

"Since when do you know so much about caves?" She pulled playfully on his hoodie.

"I've lived to see many moons, Venia, and have explored many areas of the world. Most things about nature that's found in today's school textbooks is common knowledge to me." He chuckled to himself, the cockiness in his tone a tad bit overdone.

"So explain how you create ice and snow." She cocked her head back at him, smirking.

He gripped his staff harder. "Ahh well, that I don't know. I just do it. It comes naturally to me, I guess."

"Do you need your staff to do it?"

He shrugged. "Mostly. I can create some with my hands, but it costs a lot of energy. My staff makes the power easier to transfer and direct."

"Huh," she hummed curiously. Jack stumbled on something, causing him to lose his balance and fumble weakly forward. She caught him around the stomach, pulling his thin frame erect again. "Ya alright?"

Jack sighed, looking away from her. It was friggin' embarrassing to be unable to hold his weakness. "Yeah." It was then that a glitter in the dark caught his eye. "Venia, stop."

They froze, peering into the darkness at the twinkling light coming from that side of the cave. Jack leaned in close to Venia and whispered, "Come on, lets check it out."

Venia clutched his sleeve. "No! What if it's something that wants to eat us?!" She whispered loudly.

"Well, if it was, he already heard you," Jack chuckled.

"Jack, no! Lets keep going this way."

"No, I want to find out what it is." He pulled himself from off of her, hobbling towards the twinkle.

The walls of the cave became more narrow, allowing only one person to pass through a passage. Jack kept his free hand to the wall, letting it guide his steps as it slid along the rock. He heard Venia's soft padding right behind him, her hand sliding along the rocks as well. The air suddenly became cooler, Jack's eyes rolling to the back of his head at the sensation. His breathing became less labored, the pain in his muscles shrinking as he absorbed the dropping temperatures. Venia laughed with joy behind him.

"Haha! Boy, that feels good!"

Jack smiled, his mind clearing at the sound of her laugh. "Beats the heat anyday!"

Her tone dulled with her expression. "You're a horrible joker. Just sayin'."

He laughed. "I know."

Suddenly, the walls opened up to a vast room. The walls were spread out as far as they could be, glittering with stones of all colors. The ceiling was high above them, Venia almost mistaking it for the sky because of the intricate pattern of jewels dotting it. Jack pointed excitedly to a large pool at the bottom of the drop off, the water full of white fish. He looked down and saw Venia's wide grey eyes, jumping as they beheld the beauty of the area. Jack blinked, realizing that he could finally see in the cave. The light was a neon blue, beaming in every direction it managed to reach. He brought his attention back to the light, it shining in long, vertical tubes from the stalactites. Some gooey substance fell from the bottom of one, the tube now moving upward on the stalactite. He grinned from ear to ear. "Glowworms!"

*~*~*~*~*~*G*~*~*~*~*

How he managed to find the guts to be in this predicament, he knew not. But the sand riding up his hide was bugging him, and he earnestly needed a cool down. So, with Venia's back turned to him from the side of the pool (on pain of DEATH, he warned), Jack dove into the water wearing absolutely nothing.

"Now, would you please dust off my clothes so I have something dry and as less-sandy as possible to get into when I'm done?" Upset with another bout of giggles, Venia managed to squeak out a 'yes'. Jack rolled his eyes, leaning his white locks backwards into the water. "Girls."

"Um, don't be too bitter about it. You'll be in the same position I am when you get out of there," she stated over her shoulder.

"Maybe. Except, I don't giggle." Jack squirted water out through his teeth. The water was cold, the fish lightly brushing against his skin as they swam away from him. He sighed as he felt his temperature drop lower and lower.

Venia giggled again, picking up his pants and giving them a shake to flatten them out. "Boy, you sure are a tall thing."

"Just a wee bit taller than you, mind you," he interrupted, splashing water into his face.

"However," she continued," your pants are too short. And skinny jeans, Frost? Really?"

He stood upright in the water, it lapping against his bare chest. "Hey, I grew up in the pioneer days of America. We didn't have half as many clothes as people do today, and so consequently, we ended up wearing them until they basically fell apart. Meaning, my pants were outgrown."

"Pioneer days, huh? Is that why you have no affiliation with shoes whatsoever?" She held a finger out.

"Yup. We didn't have the money. And when I would get shoes, I never wore them, except in the winter when I had to get up and milk the cows." He kicked back his feet, floating around on his back.

"Interesting. And I suppose the lack of having a shirt and only a sweatshirt means you got rid of your previous one?"

Jack's jaw clenched at a memory. "Nevermind the previous shirt. I lost it in a fight once."

Venia perked up in further interest, almost turning around but catchimg herself. "A fight?"

"Yeah," he grazed on, hoping she wouldn't be too probing. "It was a long time ago. No biggy."

She finished folding the clothes, plopping them in a pile on the ground. "Everything was a long time ago for you, Jack."

He slithered through the water to the edge of the pool. "I know." He leaned his arms up out of the water on the edge of the rock. Laying his chin on his forearms, he looked up at her.

"Mind telling me about that fight?" Venia asked softly, turning her head slightly to look down at the winter spirit.

Jack's eyes lingered on hers a moment, debating on how much of himself he should give away or not. He still didn't know that much about her, not that he thought she wouldn't be a trustworthy person. But the weariness of the day lulled his mind, making his aching heart unwilling to talk about it. "I will... Someday." He smiled weakly up to her.

Her eyes grew worried, blinking slowly as she turned her head again for his privacy. "Okay."

Jack sighed softly, deflated at her simple agreement. "I will, I promise."

Venia shrugged. "It's okay, Frost. Everyone has secrets."

He sat there a moment, watching her back. Her feminine curves seeped into his mind, making him think of how her hands would feel in his white tuffs of hair. He grumbled, remembering again that he couldn't touch her.

The water streamed in rows down his legs as he hopped out of the pool, his white locks sopping wet against his face. He shook of the excess water, using his sweatshirt to wipe his face. He gave a refreshed sigh, slipping his drawers on. "So, I suppose you're going to get in now?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he heard a scream and a splash. Zipping around, he almost jumped back into the water. "Venia!" She laughed, coming to the surface and splashing water up at him. Jack laughed, blocking the water with his still bare arm. "You still have your clothes on, Doofus."

"You think I'm gonna undress with you around?! In your dreams, Frost."

Jack snickered, pulling his sweatshirt over his head. Crazy lady, she would most likely be wet for the rest of the night. Although she constantly emanated cold like he did, it probably wouldn't be a problem. In fact, it might help her stay cold. The friction from his sweatshirt raking his hair caused it to stick up every which way on end. The explosion of laughter from the water made him scowl, grabbing his staff from the ground, and pointing it straight at Venia.

"I will use this."

*~*~*~*~*~*G*~*~*~*~*~*

"Jack, what's eatin' you?"

Jack peaked from behind the barrier his hoodie served him. "What do you mean?"

Venia shrugged, curling up more into herself. The blue light cast eerie shadows about the cave, making her eyes appear hollowed and brighter grey. They leaned up against a stalactite, each their own, their eyes drooping from the toll of the day.

"You're really quiet right now. It's.. Kinda not normal. Even though I've only known you personally for like, 2 days." Venia's eyes were sincere and concerned. Jack felt the first of the protective barriers on his heart snap apart.

"Nah, I'm just tired. It's been quite a long week." He closed his eyes, scooting down to the floor and laying flat on his back. It wasn't all a lie. A good chunk of his deflated cheery attitude was indeed due to the tired ache that suddenly occupied his age-old bones.

Her eyes lowered with her tone. "Is... Is it because of me?"

Jack eyes blinked open. "No," he reassured her, putting his hands behind his head as a pillow. "I've just had a lot of other stuff going on."

Venia sighed softly, looking over the view of the cave. The glowworms occasionally squirted and moved, giving the comfort of life being present in this dark hole in the ground. She closed her eyes, something obviously bothering her. "Jack, you can tell me anything. And I'd like to know if I were the cause of it all."

The boy bit his lip, his eyes reaching up to see hers staring down at him, grief in her own eyes. He blinked. "No, Venia. You are just fine."

"You're always saying that!" She huffed, her hands rising i to the air. Jack frowned and looked straight up at the cave ceiling, biting back any snarky comments.

"Perhaps I say that because I don't want anyone to know what's going on."

"And why not? What's the harm in it?"

Her question made the second layers in his heart be hammered down. He raised a brow, "It's more complicated than physical harm."

She shrugged. "Not necessarily. Sometimes it's more harmful not to tell a person something than it is to keep it all bottled up."

"Tell me, were you going to major in psychology?" Jack snorted.

Venia was unenthused. "Ya know what? I'm just trying to help you. If you don't want it, then fine. I'll shut up."

Jack sat up slowly, his abdomen screaming in pain. "Ow! I simply just- ow!"

"Jack, lay down."

He exhaled sharply, flailing his arms in the air. "Venia, I'm trying to talk to you."

"I thought you didn't want to." Her face was ice cold hard. "So, lie down. You're not helping your body heal any."

Glaring at her, he reluctantly succumbed to the pain. Resuming his position, he sighed, softening his voice. "Venia, I'm sorry. I-... I'm not good with speaking. I pretty much lived in silence for three hundred years."

Venia turned to him, that concerned look again painting her young features. "Three hundred years? Jack..." She trailed off, a look of release on her face passing over.

Upon the silence that ensued, Jack turned his head expectantly toward her. "What?"

"Jack..." Her voice came slow, and very soft. He sensed that she was venturing onto sensitive territory. "How did you become a Guardian?"

Jack pondered the question, swirling the spit in his mouth along as his thoughts. He hadn't openly discussed this topic. He gave random comments to the other Guardians, figuring that they were smart enough to pick up the pieces and put the story together. But to openly just divulge into it... Was as foreign as an Arabian desert.

"Of course," came her cautious voice again, " if you don't want to tell me, I can understand." It was her tone that struck a cord.

There was something about this moment that made it magical. Jack noticed it, his heart filling to the brim with emotion. In the blue glow of a cave in the middle of a sandstorm, he was sitting alone with a person he barely knew. Yet she cared about him. She didn't know a thing about him, aside from his obvious mischievousness, but she was worried if he was alright, and was genuinely interested in how he became the Jack Frost he was today. An old familiar glimpse of hope flickered in his sorrowful, guilty heart..

"I had a sister." He heard his voice speak, as if he was a bystander watching the two converse. "She was adorable.. Cute, funny, had brown hair and brown eyes just like me."

Venia chuckled softly, amazed at the image of frosty Jack being a chocolate brown.

"We went ice skating one day, and we ventured onto some thin ice." Venia's hands went to her mouth in the horror of what was to happen. "She was so scared." Jack's voice cracked, the idea of his baby sister feeling too frightened to even move.

"So I distracted her, making the hop to thicker ice kinda like a game. She fell right for it, even laughing while the ice cracked under our feet. Once she was within the reach of my shepherd's staff, I hooked her with the crook and swung as hard as I could. I knew how critical that moment was, that if I failed," his eyes glossed over. "If I failed, one slip up on the thin ice would send her into the water. Which proved to be true only moments later." He looked up at Venia, his heart stopping at the sight of a tear rolling down her face. He hesitated. "Want me to stop?"

Venia sniffed, wiping her nose with her green wet sleeve. "No, keep-.. Keep going."

Jack paused a moment for assurance, settling down again. "The thrust sent her over to the thick ice, and me over to the thin. But we just sat there for a brief moment. _Nothing_ happened, and we thought for that one moment that it would all be okay. Perhaps I misjudged the ice's durability, I certainly had that afternoon. The look of joy on her face at being safe warmed my heart. I laughed a little to break up the tension of the situation, taking a step forward. My weight shifting was enough to do the last bit. I remember yelling something-probably nothing sensible- as I went down, my sister screaming my name."

Jack squeezed his eyes shut, a few tears falling. He sniffed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he held back the sobs. Venia placed a hand on his arm, making him weakly laugh. "I'm a baby, aren't I?"

Venia shook her head firmly. "No. Not at all."

Jack wiped his eyes, sniffing again. "Well, I think I am. Anyway.. I woke up with white hair and magical powers. The moon only whispered my name, which is the only thing he has ever told me to this day. But that's okay." He stared into her eyes, his heart finding the depths of her soul and pinning them there. "Because I believe it."

Venia's chin quivered. She covered her face with her hands, turning away from him. Jack was stung. "Hey hey hey, what's wrong? I would have stopped if you wanted me to." He rose to his knees, scooting closer beside her. Briefly confused at what to do, he yanked out the two pairs of gloves he had shoved in his pocket. "Look."

Venia wiped the tears from her eyes to look down at Jack's hands. He had the same cobalt blue cotton gloves on from before when he pitched them in his clothes pile before bathing. And in these he held a rich, emerald green pair. She gave a short winded giggle. "Gloves?"

He nodded, grinning from ear to ear. "Gloves. Here." He gestured for her to stick out her hand. After gently pulling them over her pale fingers, he clapped his own together with a muffled sound. "There. Now we don't have to worry about any white light explosions while we wear these."

Venia laughed, cutting it short by putting her hands over her mouth. Jack's grin didn't falter. He noticed the way her cheeks very lightly blushed from embarrassment. She nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Thank you, Jack."

The boy shrugged, waving a hand. "It was just a quick trip to the clothing store, no biggy."

Venia slowly blinked. "No no, I mean for saving me. You looked around the US for me, found me, and ran till you literally passed out in the middle of a sandstorm! I don't know why it all happened or how it came to be, but.. You still saved me."

Jack swallowed. He was getting this new feeling in the pit of his stomach that festered and set all of his nerves on fire. He fingers ached to move, ached to touch something-to touch her. But he held his hand back, not willing to break the trust that was now forming between them. Venia's eyes were practically glowing, the blue light bouncing off the shine of her tears and illuminating the grey color. He didn't even notice his face inching closer to hers.

Venia's eyes closed, the feeling of being on air enveloping her senses. She put a hand on Jack's frozen cheek, slowly pulling him closer.

Jack opened his eyes for a moment, his lips parting as they almost were placed on Venia's. But he stopped. "Venia," he whispered, his voice strangely husky and strained .

"Hm?" She asked, slowly opening her eyes.

Tears pricked his eyes as he shook his head, the white locks bouncing slightly. "We can't."

Venia looked him in the eyes, her understanding brimming from them. She placed her other hand on his cheek as well, gently tilting his head down to place a kiss on his forehead. The contact immediately shot pain through both of them, making them jump at the sudden spark. Venia rubbed her lips, and Jack his forehead. The two resumed their positions, Jack staring at the ceiling in slight disappointment.

He was so close. He wasn't quite sure what he was close to, but he was close.. But the pain uttered between them kept them apart. He sighed, feeling his eyelids fall. Ah well, no biggy..

He didn't deserve anything pleasurable or nice anyway.

** *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*G*~*~*~*~*~*~***

**(i don't own anything, DUH)**

**So I heard from my favorite author ever in this section of fandom, and was encouraged. Consequently, I don't care and am just gonna have fun with this. **

**A HUGE LONG shout out to 3 particular reviewers. :) You guys rock.**

**And thanks to anyone who has taken the time to read my weird little tale. Please review? :)**


	8. Chapter 8: I Don't Give a Rat's Butt

Jack couldn't remember ever being so thankful to see Bunnymund. Then again, there was that one time when the pooka grabbed him from getting socked by an angry kangaroo during a visit to Australia, of which he was pretty grateful for. And there was also that other time when he carried him to bed after a sugar rush, avoiding an explosion of fury from Tooth, this too was he glad for. And also, there was the... Okay okay, Bunnymund was good at tracking Jack down by now and getting him out of scrapes.

When North sent word to the Warren that Jack and Venia went missing, Bunnymund rolled his eyes, put aside his armful of eggs to be painted, and tapped his foot to open the portal. He seriously questioned if Jack was just sent to them just to keep them humble. And Jack had gone missing with a girl? Now THAT was a new one.

"Bloody show pony," he grumbled, running with lightning speed through the tunnels between space and time. "Will he eva get the clue that the rest of us are too busy to go lookin' for him every half an hour?"

The pooka went to Burgess and grabbed Jamie along for the ride, looking every place he had marked as a favorite hiding place of Jack's. He was surprised to catch a whiff of his cold scent in the warmer winds of the west, and he was even more surprised when it lead him to a cave in the middle of a desert in Arizona. What in bloomin' heck he was doing out here, he tried not to imagine. But when the portal opened to a passage in the cave with a sweaty Jack and a sleeping Venia, Bunnymund's anger spiked. He pounced on the teen boy, holding a boomerang to his neck.

"Jack! I've had enough of your tricks! In just half a week you almost drown in my river, and then you get North all riled up about you and this new girl missing. I go lookin' for you all over the whole dang globe, and I find you and her in this cave in the middle of no where. If you wanted to have a little fun, why don't you juss say somethin' so people don't worry?!" He pressed the boomerang into his neck more.

Jack panted as sweat rolled down his forehead, drop after drop. "What are you talking about?"

The pooka could just shake him. "What are you doing out here in the desert under the ground in a cave?! With a girl, more or less?!" Jack's eyes hazily focused on the pooka before rolling to the back of his head.

He knew it wasn't a good idea to leave the little, cold pool in the cavern with the glowworms. But Venia was anxious to get out, and to tell the truth, he was getting anxious too. Whether it was claustrophobia or the awkwardness of the night before, he didn't know. But he reluctantly agreed and they set off to try and find the end of the cave. It wasn't long before it became darker, tighter, and dangerously enough, warmer. They were both still weak, not completely refrozen from the desert heat. Soon enough, Venia suddenly slumped to the ground and passed out. Jack picked her up and carried her as far as he could, until he too had all his strength drained.

He couldn't remember how long they had laid there, having slipped in and out of consciousness, but when Bunnymund showed up with Jamie, he was flooded with relief. Regardless of the fact that the older Guardian had his weapon pressed against his neck at the moment.

"Bunnymund.. Please, get us somewhere cold. We need to be somewhere cold." Jack's slurred speech caused Bunnymund to take a step back in worry.

"Frostbite, what's the matter?"

Jack swallowed, his stomach lurching everytime he spoke. "We're too warm."

Bending over, Bunnymund's features softened as he touched Jack's warm body. He only knew the winter spirit to be like touching dry ice, painfully cold. And now he could pick him up if he wanted to without so much as flinching, which he did just that. "Jamie, get Venia. We're headed to the Pole."

With a little effort, Jamie scooped up the girl and they dropped into the pooka's portal. In a blink of an eye, they popped up and out, landing in a deep snowbank.

Bunnymund sputtered and shook the snow from his grey fur. "Blimey! It's freezin'!" He gently placed Jack in the snow. "Jamie, start packin' it."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*G*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A sharp pain in his chest caused Jack to open his eyes with a cry. His eyes danced around the room out of control, his mind spinning as he desperately tried to focus on something. He hardly noticed the light brush of fingers against his forehead and the soft gasp of, "His fever broke!"

Groaning, Jack squinted his eyes shut against the light of the sun that streamed from the window. Apparently, they were no longer in the cave, the soft material that swept across his skin when he moved was proof. Voices floated through the fog in his brain, the quick chipper of a lighter one and the slow depth of a thicker one. He couldn't understand what they were saying, but he did recognize one of the words he heard earlier over and over. "Fever", "fever", "fever", they said... He had a fever?

"What's going on?" he attempted to speak, ending up being a hoarse whisper. His throat felt raw like sandpaper.

"He's awake!" came the light voice again.

Familiarity leaked through the tendrils of his mind, wrapping around the voice and giving it the colors of blue, green, gold, and pink. It was shaped into feathers and wings. "Tooth?"

He heard her squeal, and imagined her fists pressed up against her cheeks in surprise. "He can hear me!"

Jack licked his lips, his dry mouth making the movement of his tongue slow. "Where am I?"

"You're at North's Pole, sweetie," she answered softly, putting a cold rag on his forehead. "You were stranded in a desert cave, and Bunnymund found you."

"A cave," he repeated to himself. Oh yeah, the cave. The one he and Venia fled into in the desert. No wonder he felt so dry.

"How are you feeling?" The cloth left his face a moment followed by the sound of dripping water.

Jack thought to himself a moment. Well, truthfully he felt like he had been hit by a truck, but what good would that be in saying. It would only gain him sympathy, of which he didn't need or deserve. "I'm fine."

The silence in response caused him to sigh, thankful that Tooth didn't press him. Another wave of exhaustion rolled over his lifeless limbs, weighing his eyelids down to a solid close. "How's Venia?"

Tooth sighed, "About the same as you. Your physical conditions are a lot alike."

An image of the pale girl with blonde hair crossed his mind. Her eyes were closed, a gloved hand gracing his cheek as he saw her face leaning closer to his. He shook the memory away, bothered by the mystery of it. Another image of a dark haired girl with glazed green eyes and blue frozen cheeks invaded the grace of the previous girl. Her hair's wet locks were frosting white, the peace of death seeping into her gaze up at him. Her fingers clutched at his clothes, the air constricted as her lungs collapsed.

Curling into the fetal position, Jack sighed. "I just wanna sleep." And with a small effort to divert his thinking, he slipped into a deep sleep.

Toothiana didn't notice the black muzzle that crept from the shadows, forming from a grainy ink into a green eyed equine monster.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*G*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"It's going to happen again soon. I can feel it."

Bunnymund slammed his fist on the table. "North, Pitch's defenses were disabled years ago. There's no way he was able to harness the nightmares back to him so soon."

"Then explain this!" North's voice echoed dangerously through the halls of the Pole. His finger pointed accusingly to the black, twisting figure of sand shaped as a horse, its eyes glowing green with fury. A golden chain was wrapped around its face and all of it's hooves, the gold trailing out to the hands of a short man with yellow flames of hair.

Bunnymund's eyes flashed. "It might be a runaway, a random nightmare trying to wreak havoc on its own. They dot the earth, North, whether you want to admit it or not."

Jack shivered in his seat as the eyes of the nightmare bore into his core. He gripped his staff a little tighter.

North tapped his temples. "But _why_ is it here? There is reason why its here, they normally don't bother us."

Tooth sighed, turning from her conversation with a small group of fairies. "Maybe it lost its way. A wandering nightmare this far from children would be starved for someone to scare, even if it is a Guardian that's the only one around."

"Then why not attack yetis? Why not try to scare their children?" North caught himself, having earned a sideways glance from Phil who stood at his side. "Not that we want them scared, but if that were the case, why would it skip over them?"

"Why aim for Jack?" Bunnymund finished for him.

Jack's head lowered as he felt the guilt of the situation bear down on him. He could sense Venia's eyes checking him over in worry, her natural care evident her gaze. But he didn't look at her, he refused to look at her. The nightmare from earlier was still heavy in his conscience, and he couldn't bear to face a young woman at the moment.

"Jack is probably more vulnerable, considering he's just a child himself," Tooth commented.

Sandy showed a sand checkmark over his head, nodding as he gripped his golden ropes that held the evil.

Jack's heart now pounded in his chest. He never told the Guardians about the offers Pitch had made for him to join him. He knew Pitch was getting stronger, he could feel it even before the meeting he had in the woods with him. His gut tightened as he remembered the feeling of having his abdomen kicked the crap out of. Pitch was back, it wasn't that hard to see. It was why he was back that was the puzzling factor. If he knew Jack wouldn't join him, why would he keep going back to him?

"I have a feeling that Pitch knows something that we don't, which isn't a good thing. And he's using it against us," Bunnymund's nose twitched as he focused on Jack. "Have you any ideas? You've been awfully quiet."

Jamie scoffed from the couch. "He's been quiet this whole time."

Bunnymund hopped away from the table, making his way to the winter spirit. Jack leaned back a little as his personal space was invaded. "Mate, what's goin' on? We've tried to respect your privacy, but too many things aren't adding up, and there's too many foggy things going on around here. A lot of them involving you."

"Like why do you lie to me," Jamie started, glancing over the book he had his nose in.

Jack frowned, "I told you that wasn't a real lie, Sport. It was a diversion. I had a rough day, and just didn't want to talk about it."

"Why were you having a rough day, Jack?" Bunnymund's eyes pierced the icy blues.

He got into the pooka's face. "Why am I being interrogated like some kind of criminal?"

"Bunnymund, Jack, stop," came Tooth's soothing voice. "Jack, we're just trying to help you. We're just as confused as you are."

Jack relaxed some, stepping back from the pooka's face. "Bunnymund, I'm not hiding anything you guys need to know. I had a bad day, end of story."

"I tried to make it up as that when you said so the first time. But since that bad day, things have been happenin'." Bunnymund's gaze never left the teen's. "You're fightin' with Jamie, you almost drown in my river, a new spirit shows up, and the two of you go missing for a couple of days."

"And besides that, you just look _sad_, Jack," North noted softly. "That's not like you."

"And about the incident with Venia. I found you in a bloody cave in a desert?!" Bunnymund's voice rose a few decibels. "If you know you're not supposed to be anywhere warm, what the heck were you thinking? Take the girl to Paris, it's not as hot there."

Jack blinked, his mouth gaping in shock. "Hu-what?!"

The other Guardians also whipped their heads back, their eyes sticking to Bunnymund. Venia frowned in confusion. "Bunnymund, what on earth are you talking about?"

The pooka froze awkwardly as he observed the clueless looks he was getting, especially from Jack. His eye twitched. "Well... I thought that's why you went away with her."

"Went away with her? What the freaking heck are you blabbing about?" Jack's face twisted. "Me and Jamie and her were playing a game. She disappeared, and I went looking for her. I found her in Arizona and the wind wouldn't take us back, then a sandstorm blew up, and I was forced to retreat to the cave. What was going on in that skull of yours about what you think happened?!"

The silence lingered thick through the room. An awkward-looking Bunnymund twisted his ears back and forth and his nose twitched ever so often. "Well... Boy and girl goes missing. I find them all alone and away from society, one passed out and one sweaty." The others eyes bulged even bigger, if that were possible, as the realization dawned on them all. "What was I supposed to think!"

Jamie suddenly burst out laughing. "Aster thought that Jack and Venia went off and-.. Ahahahahah!" Easily triggered by humor, North joined in with him.

Jack's cheeks turned a shade of red that surpassed the shade he had during the fever. "That is NOT funny. I am NOT that type. That is just disgusting."

Venia turned even more white, her skin matching the color of her hair as she debated on whether or not to run from the room. This was almost too humiliating to bear.

"Knock it off," Jack growled, turning to Bunnymund, who's confused face now sported one of suppressed mirth. "No, dude, that's not what happened. Geez, what the freakin' heck do you take me for?"

Bunnymund crossed his arms. "Mate, when you're a young teen boy and meet a pretty girl, everyone is tempted to think things they usually shouldn't. Especially when they go bloody missing. Ya can't blame me for suspecting."

Jack slammed his staff down in irritation. "Well, I do. And we got off topic, if you hyenas don't mind."

North and Jamie sobered, covering their mouths as they deliberately looked anywhere but at Jack and Bunnymund for fear of laughing again. Tooth rolled her eyes and cleared her throat. "We were saying?"

"Pitch is gaining power," Jack replied, his tone and eyes still narrowed. "And we don't know how or why. I say we take out this nightmare and keep an eye out for anymore foul play. The globe is still glittered with lights, so we don't have a state of emergency or anything like that right now."

"Everything is still in speculation," Bunnymund concluded, still eyeing Jack.

"Well, just so you guys know," Jack gestured to all of them, "I don't know what's going on either. I'm not secretly planning anything with Pitch, and I remain just in the dark about it as you are."

North's eyes were soft. "We know, Jack. It's just your strange behavior timing with Pitch's nightmare was a little concerning. Especially since it seemed interested in only you."

"My behavior has been due to some personal issues, of which I don't wish to discuss. But it doesn't involve Pitch, I swear." He glanced up at Venia, quickly looking down when he did.

Tooth fluttered over to the pale boy. "We are here for you, you know? Whatever it is."

Jack gave her a smile. "I know. And I might take you up on that one day. For now, I just ask that you.." He winced slightly. "I ask that you all would just leave it alone."

Tooth's expression drooped, sympathy lining the creases of her violet jewel eyes. She suddenly wrapped her arms around him in a hug. In shock for only a moment, Jack relaxed in the embrace, his heart soaking the care with its throbbing beats. He suddenly realized just how much he needed this; but when she shivered, he instantly began to pull away. "Thanks, Tooth."

"My pleasure," she fluttered to the side, giving her ear to one of her little fairies. "A lateral incisor! Oh goody!" Jack chuckled.

"Well! Who is going to do the honors?" North asked, rubbing his hands together and looking at the nightmare.

The black horse whinnied, tossing its head and struggling against its bonds. Sandy wrapped the cords around his hands another time with one hand, grabbing his whip and slashing its hide with the other. The horse never calmed, it only quickened its rebellion. Jack shifted his staff further up his hand, walking in front of the raging nightmare. With a determined focus, he summoned the power through his staff and instantly the evil was frozen, splattered on the floor where it once stood.

"Phil! Clean up in globe room!" North boomed, walking off. "Anyone hungry? I'll fetch more cookies."

Jack looked over to Venia, an apologetic smile on his face. She shrugged weakly, her eyes darted to the floor in an embarrassed flush. Friggin' Bunnymund.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*G*~*~*~*~*~*

Jack awoke early the next morning with only one name in mind. Having slept with his dreams personally guarded by Sandy, he woke up refreshed and with hardly an ache or pain. Save for one, the one that now always drove deeper through his heart and into his soul. Jack had learned to live with the pain of loneliness and the pain of rejection. But the pain of guilt was a new ballgame for him. One that he honestly didn't feel up to playing anymore.

It was becoming easier and easier in the dark corners of his mind to accept that he wasn't needed anymore, that his revoked title as a Guardian was no longer to be associated with Jack Frost. He knew he didn't deserve such a title, and he knew that what he did had severed anything that indicated he did. Yes, he had saved his sister. Yes, he had saved Jamie several times. Yes, he had saved many children, and he had saved Venia just that week. But he had also killed, with his own hands, and no amount of good deeds could make up for that. He knew this.

Yawning, he opened the big doors of his window, his feet slowly padding on the snow of the balcony floor. He shuffled closer to the edge, gripping onto the rails with his hands. The guilt slowly leaked from his heart again, climbing up his chest and fingering its way to his throat, wrapping around and choking the air. He gasped, shutting his eyes against the tears as his shoulders shook with held sobs. The nightmare he had froze yesterday was right. He could still hear the hiss of a dark voice, very much like Pitch's.

_"You belong in the darkness. Cold and loneliness, it goes together with it. You need to stop fighting the Moon's purpose for you."_

He pressed a fist again his forehead, focusing his whole being on trying to get this horrible, sickening, hollow feeling from his chest that threatened to suffocate him. But as the whimpers softly escaped his pale lips, his attempts hardly pressed, the feeling proved too overwhelming to simply get rid of. In fact, he couldn't imagine ever being able to get rid of it.

"Why so glum, Mate?"

Jack snapped up, frantically wiping the tears from his eyes. He spotted the source of the voice casually leaned up against the side of the window, a smirk on his face. "Bunnymund! What the heck!"

The pooka chuckled, giving the egg he held in one paw a swipe with a paint brush that he held with the other. "Did I disturb you?"

"I find you generally disturbing, especially with the fact of you either spying on me this whole time, or sneaking up on me. Either route, you're still creepy."

"Eh, I can get used to it," Bunnymund mused. "So, I wanted to find out something."

Jack wiped any excess tears with his sweatshirt sleeve to be sure. Apparently, and thankfuly, the Easter Bunny didn't see him crying. "What do you want, Cottontail?"

The pooka gave the egg a few more strokes with the brush, his brows knitted in concentration. "I wanted to know.. Why you told Jamie that I was going somewhere.. When clearly, I wasn't." He looked up at the teen from his work.

Jack squinted. "What are you talking about?"

"Now normally," the brush was pointed at him, "I don't give a rat's butt about how you go about tricking people. But involve me in it, and I'll get downright testy."

Jack lightly hit his palm on the railing a few times. "Please, enlighten me as to what you're talking about. I can't give a good answer if I don't even know what you are talking about."

"Jamie told me that before all the disappearing thing started, Venia had wanted to go see Sandy and Tooth, she said." He squinted one eye at him. "But you said that I was going to be out and busy going somewhere or doing something. When in actuality, I stayed at the Warren all day and never told anyone of any adventures I had in going out for any reason."

Jack slowly blinked as he remembered his excuse, the one Jamie had called fishy. "Oh yeah.."

Bunnymund kept Jack's gaze. "Why did you say that?"

Jack stiffened as he stood erect, his mind spinning wildly for any explanation other than what he had. "Umm.."

"Just give me the truth, Frostbite. It's just me and you." The brush remained still, hovering above the white surface of the eggshell.

A heavy sigh escaped his lips, giving away his sense of security. "It was nothing against you, Kangaroo."

Bunnymund's brush began moving again. "Oh? What was it then?"

"It was-" His head started to hurt. Why did he have to know this right now? He hadn't even had breakfast yet. Not that he normally ate breakfast, but still. "It was... A trick. I was trying to keep someone from doing something."

Bunnymund hummed. "Hm, this much is obvious. I want the facts that aren't so obvious."

Jack huffed. "Why?! Can't you just go? I'm not really feeling up to talking."

He looked up again with an intrigued glare. "Why?"

Jack's eyes narrowed, the frustration tingling in his fingers. All it would take is one blast of ice to freeze him, but then again there would be hell to pay later. "Fine. I was trying to keep Jamie from coming with me and Venia somewhere."

The pooka's eyes widened, his brush lowering to his side. "What?"

Jack sighed. "Jamie had football practice and wanted us to stick around. I wanted to take Venia off by myself to go see the rest of the Guardians, and not have Jamie around. It sounds horrible, I know. But it's the truth."

A grin curled at the side of the pooka's mouth. "Hmmmm so is Frostbite gettin' a lil' crush on somebody, eh?"

"No!" Jack roared. "No no! She's just a pleasant person to be around!"

"Don't come the raw prawn, you are crushin', Mate."

Jack squinted. "What the heck does that even mean?"

Bunnymund walked closer to the teen, placing a paw on his shoulder. "Now I believe that you didn't do anything earlier with her. But don't be a drongo. Make a move as soon as possible."

Jack shrugged off Bunnymund's paw. "Nice advice, Terd."

Bunnymund shook his head. "No, not like that. Listen to me."

Jack stopped struggling, dragging his eyes up to the pooka's. "What then?"

Bunnymund looked into Jack's eyes, sealing an hidden pact with him. "Treat her right. This opportunity doesn't come along all that often."

Jack stared at Bunnymund a moment before blinking back into reality. "She deserves better. Whatever my feelings may be for her."

"Frostbite-"

"No!" Jack exclaimed, ramming his hands over his ears. "Stop it, Kangaroo, I really don't like her! She's just a good friend."

Bunnymund shrugged, backing off. "Can't say I didn't try. But don't forget it." The pooka left through the window, leaving Jack to mutter to himself.

So it was that obvious, huh? Jack ran his fingers through his white hair, blowing an enormous amount of air from his lungs. He couldn't let himself like Venia. He couldn't even touch her. The moment they had in the cave was unexpected and quick, but it was the fear of hurting her that held him back. He would only hurt her and may even kill her. He didn't know anymore, he no longer trusted his own judgement. Whatever the heck happened there, he didn't understand himself. Why did life have to suck so bad?

He paced back and forth, unaware of his own anxiety. What the flip, to heck with the whole thing. He didn't deserve anything pleasant and sweet, especially not from Venia. As long as his hands were bloodied with the murder of that innocent girl, he had no right to get close to anyone. He couldn't afford to either. If he were to be the cause of another death, his heart would be too broken to live. Already it barely hung on its hinge.

So the reason why his blotchy feet landed on the porch of Tooth Palace wasn't for redemption. It wasn't for closure, or even for the hope of seeing that he was somehow wrong in his accusations against himself. It was purely out of curiosity.

"Hey, Tooth," he smiled, waving his staff at the Tooth Fairy. Her colorful body glistened in the light of flashing gold from her palace, as little miniatures of herself flew in every direction. Baby Tooth appeared from a group of her sisters, sqeaking in delight. "Baby Tooth!" The little fairy zipped over to Jack and nuzzled against his cheek, causing him to laugh.

Tooth turned around and gasped. "Jack! What're you doing here? How are you?" She flew up to him, almost knocking him over in an embrace.

"I'm okay," he chuckled, gently pulling her arms off of him. "Listen, Tooth. Can you do me a favor?"

Her white smile flashed. "Anything, Jack."

"I need.." He paused, watching her closely. "I need someone else's memories."

The preppy flutter of her wings halted. "Why do you need someone else's memories?"

Jack bit his lip. "Because... something once happened, and I need to know how it came about." It was a lame explanation, but he couldn't do it any other way.

Tooth looked skeptical. "Jack, that's hardly a good reason."

Jack sighed, leaning on his staff. "I know. Fact is, I really don't have a good reason. But I do need to know. Rather, I do _want_ to know."

She lightly shook her head. "Well, Jack, I'm not supposed to show children's teeth to someone else other than themselves. It's a rule in the-"

"Please, Tooth." The urgency in Jack's eyes pleaded with her. He wasn't fully sure of himself why he wanted to know so bad. It was just curiosity after all. "Please, will you do this for me just this once?"

Toothiana observed the teen's darkened eyes, the way his back haunched slightly, and his hollow pale cheeks. Squinting an eye, she put her hand on his shoulder. "Promise you will take good care of it?"

Jack gave a firm nod. "I will guard them with my life."

She smiled, brushing his bangs from out of his eyes. "Good. What's the child's name?"

It was then that Jack spoke the name he woke up to that morning, for the first time. Tooth quickly found the case of teeth, the picture of a raven haired girl smiling up at him with green eyes on the side. It was the same name that Pitch had uttered during that little tiff they had in the woods a few nights ago.

"Sarah Hopwood."

***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*G*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***

**777 views and 15 reviews, HOLY CRAP. And all by you amazing people. Wow... Wasn't expecting that. You guys rock. **

**So I haven't felt completely up to par lately. Kinda been fighting some major down in the dumps situations. I hope i haven't let anyone down with this chapter. :/**

**thank you for reading! Your support is appreciated :) Please review? **


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